Unforeseen Love
by BeautifullyBubbly
Summary: "We all want love. We want to love someone and have someone love us back. Many times we want it so badly that we go out there and try and find it ourselves but, the truth is, love finds us at the most unexpected of times, in the most unpredictable places, and with the most surprising people." xx Niley
1. Chapter 1

At times like this, Miley Stewart truly hated her job. Every adult out in the work force has their fair share of days when they feel like quitting, but she was sure no one shared the extreme hatred she had for her job.

Miley was a journalist for the Happy Life Magazine. The magazine was just as cheesy and corny as the title led one to believe it would be; it was all about the wonderful things in life. Ironically enough, the magazine was perhaps the cause of most of the frustration and unhappiness Miley had in her life.

She had majored in English in college because she wanted to be able to share her writings with the world. This, however, was not at all what Miley Stewart had in mind. At Happy Life Magazine, Miley was forced to write exactly what the editor wanted. There was zero room for creativity. Never was she allowed to share her own personal opinion.

Now, she sat at her desk trying to finish an article about how the color of your nails could affect your life. It was possibly one of the dumbest articles Miley had ever heard of and could not come up with enough words to meet the minimum for the life of her. She had been working on it for the past hour and had made very little progress. After all, how much was there really to write on the connection on the color of your nails and your life?

Miley just wanted to let out all her emotions and scream at the top of her lungs. She couldn't do that, though. She needed the money to pay her rent and buy her groceries. Miley groaned as she tilted back in her cheap swivel chair. All she wanted was to go home and relax.

A knock came at the door of her office.

"Come in," Miley called, trying her best to at least attempt to sound happy.

"Hey, Miles!" Lily said, happiness in her voice. If there was one thing that stood out about Lily Truscott, it was the fact she was almost always happy. It was a very rare occasion to see her anything but bubbly and energetic.

"Hey Lily," Miley responded, forcing a smile. The only good thing that came out of working at the Happy Life Magazine was that she got to work along side her very best friend. Her best friend who happened to hate the job almost as much as she did. Almost.

"Sooo.. I'm thinking we go out tonight! We have got to find you a man!" Lily announced.

"Not tonight, Lil. I'm not really in the mood at all. Today has just been really sucky."

"Come on, Miles! It's been so long since you've had a man in your life! I'll find you someone good," Lily said confidently.

"I don't know, Lily. It's been a rough day.." Miley responded. She ran her hands through her dark, wavy hair.

Lily crossed her arms across her chest and gave Miley a pointed look.

"Exactly why a night out will do you some good!"

"Alright, I'll go, but we're not staying out too late," Miley said, seriously. As much as she didn't want to go out, she agreed because she knew how much it meant to Lily for her to go.

"Yay yay yay yay!" Lily squeeled and giggled like a giddy sixteen year old about to go out on her first date.

Miley couldn't help but chuckle at her best friend. Lily could always manage to make Miley happy and that was one thing Miley truly cherished about their friendship.

"Ok, I really have to get back to work because my deadline is this afternoon," Miley said, turning back to her task at hand. She moved the mouse on the mouse pad to bring her computer out of sleep mode.

"Yeah, me too. I'm writing an article on how to make your garden truly dazzle to life. I have no clue what to write. I'll see you later, though," Lily said, overly happy. She practically skipped out of the office.

A few moments later, there was another knock at the door.

"Come on in!" Miley called from her computer. She glanced up when she saw it was Justin, her boss's secretary.

There was no denying Justin was attractive. He had blonde hair that ended just above his ears and had piercing blue eyes. He was at least 6 feet, and height was something that always caught Miley's attention. However, Justin had the world's most bland personality so Miley never felt any feelings towards him.

"Hello, Ms. Stewart. Helga would like to see you in her office," Justin said extremely formally. His hands were folded across his lap and he was standing up perfectly perpendicular to the ground, something he always did.

"Thank you, Justin," Miley responded. She stood up and followed Justin down the narrow hallway toward her boss's office.

The workplace was not a happy place at all, despite the name of the magazine. The walls were painted a dull gray. On the floor was a rusty colored carpet. The carpet had many stains on it from spills and Miley guessed it was older than she was.

However, Helga's office was quite the opposite. The walls were a pale yellow and it was covered with hard wood floors that were varnished nicely. A furry, brown shag rug was present in the middle of the room under Helga's desk. Helga also had the only window in the entire office that overlooked LA. Some might argue it was one of the nicest views in the entirety of the city.

If there was anyone who's name perfectly matched their personality, it was Helga. She had long, brownish grey hair that she always wore in a tight braid down the middle of her back. She was middle aged and had more than a few extra pounds on her. Helga always dressed in browns and grays, never wearing any colors.

"Sit," Helga ordered and pointed to the chair on the opposite side of her desk.

Miley obediently sat down in the chair and folded her hands neatly in her lap. She had no idea what this was about.

"I need you to go cover the Malibu High School football game tonight. All of our sports writers are sick. The team was 0-10 last year and this year they're 6-0. Make it into an article about how determination and hard work actually pay off. About how those values are needed for anyone to live a "happy" life. I also want you to interview the coach and see what he has to say. Ask him about what values he thinks drove his team this year," Helga demanded in a tone that Miley knew better than to say no to.

"I'm on it," Miley said, trying to remain composed on the outside. On the inside, she was screaming about how unfair it was Helga was making her go report on a Friday night. She didn't dare say that aloud, though.

On the other hand, this would be a good excuse to not go boy 'shopping' tonight.

"Good. You're dismissed now. Oh, and I want the story done by Monday."

"Sure thing," Miley, replied, forcing a smile even though she was completely pissed.

Nick paced back and forth along the sidelines of the field. There was only one minute and forty-four seconds left in the game. His team was down by 14 and he sincerely doubted they would come back. His team, the Sea Lions, were playing terribly. Their opponents, the Spartans, hadn't won a game all season and yet somehow they were beating his team.

Nick was livid. His players had gone into the came cocky and now were going to lose. The minute they were back in the locker room after the game, he knew he was going to let them have it. They were very likely throwing away their chance at making the play-offs.

Nick ran his fingers through his curly hair as he tried to focus on the game. His quarterback threw the ball to his wide receiver who didn't even appear to be open and the Spartans running back intercepted it. The running back ran and was only tackled about ten yards out from the their end zone.

Nick shook his head in disgust. He couldn't believe how terrible his players were playing.

In the last minute of the game, the Warriors scored again. The final score was 7-28 and Nick was not a happy camper at all.

The final score was announced and the fans in the stands began to file out of the arena.

Out of nowhere, a petite woman walked up to Nick smiling. She had dark wavy hair that fell just below her chest.

Miley took in the sight of Nick and was immediately intimidated. He had a rather large stature. Miley guessed he was about 6'0" and had muscles that were clearly defined.

"Hi, I'm Miley Stewart, a reporter from the Happy Life Magazine. I was just wondering if you might want to answer a few question about tonight's game," she asked in a very friendly tone.

Nick glanced down at her feet.

"What the hell kind of shoes do you think you're wearing on MY field? This is a football field, not a runway!" Nick said angrily.

Miley's eyes widened at his reaction. She took a half step back.

"Sorry, I just-"

"Just what?! You think it's ok to puncture holes in the grass? Do you know how much work goes into keeping this grass in pristine condition?" Nick's face turned a dark shade of red. He was letting all of his anger at the team out on this woman but at that moment, he didn't care less.

"I really am sorry. Here, let me take them off-" Miley said, not quite sure what she had done to rub this man the wrong way. She squatted down to pull her heels off.

"Don't bother! Just leave! I don't have time for any of your stupid questions which I'm sure are exactly the same as those from every other reporter! And even if I answered them, you'd just twist my words around and make me out to be some type of asshole. I know exactly what type of people you journalists are like!" Nick practically screamed in her face. People around began to stare at the twosome.

Miley stood up straight and looked at him, a bit of fear evident in her eyes. Now, though, her eyes were mostly showing anger. How dare he insult her when all she was trying to do was ask a few questions!

"I'm really sorry to bother you," Miley said, quietly and politely. As a journalist, Miley had been trained to never yell back at an interviewee. Miley clamped her mouth shut so she didn't yell a few choice words at the coach and then turned around and walked off the field, making sure to dig her heels into the grass even more just to push his buttons.

Miley reached the fence and walked out of the stadium. Almost immediately, her phone began ringing. She looked down at the Caller ID and saw Lily's name. Miley pressed the 'answer' button.

"Hey Lils," Miley said, not as perkily as she normally would.

"Sooo.. How'd it go?"

"The coach was a total asshole!" Miley said angrily as she replayed the conversation in her head.

"What happened?" Lily asked, curiously.

Miley reached her car and unlocked the door. She sat in the driver's seat but didn't put the key in the ignition.

"Well, first, he starts going off on me for wearing heels on his football field. So, I offered to take the damn shoes off and he started screaming about how annoying journalists were!" Miley said, annoyance clear in her tone.

"You should've punched him square in the nose!"

Miley chuckled a bit at her comment. Possibly her favorite quality of Lily's was the way she could make her laugh no matter what mood she was in.

"I was actually more scared he was going to punch ME in the face at the moment! I didn't get angry until after when I realized how ridiculous the entire situation was!" Miley exclaimed and Lily giggled.

"Ok, well, you definitely need some cheering up! So, I say instead of going out to find you a guy, we have a girls' night in!"

"Sounds perfect!" Miley replied, pushing the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life. Miley was ecstatic not to have to go out and look for a boyfriend tonight. She was a firm believer that the right guy would come into her life when she was ready and that there was no point in trying to rush the process.

"Ok, I'll see you when you get back to the apartment!"

"See you soon, Lils!" Miley said and hit end on her phone before backing out of the parking spot.

Nick lay in bed later that night just staring up at the ceiling. For some reason, the face of the journalist he had screamed at earlier kept rushing back to him. All he could see was her big, green eyes filled with fear. Guilt washed over his body when he remembered it was he who caused her to be afraid.

He usually wasn't like that. Nick's parents had raised him to be much more of a gentleman. In fact, Nick's friends were always telling him he cared too much about other people.

The reporter had just approached him when he wasn't in a very good mood. What was her name? Maggie? Millie? No.. Miley.

Nick had never heard the name before.

"Miley," He tested the foreign name out in his mouth and liked the sound of it. It was pretty yet it wasn't one of those overused names either.

Guilt again rushed through his veins as he thought about how nice of a person she probably was. She had seemed so friendly and innocent and Nick had responded by screaming in her face. Nick had caused her to be afraid. Of him. And now, she would probably get in trouble with her boss too, for not getting that interview. These thoughts only made him feel worse.

He tried falling asleep, but every time he shut his eyes, Miley's image popped into his head: her wavy brown hair, her green eyes, her toothy grin, her cute, little nose.

Nick groaned in frustration knowing he wouldn't be getting to sleep anytime soon. As if to confirm his thoughts, his iPhone buzzed beside him.

"Hello?" Nick asked into the speaker.

"Hi, Nicholas," His mother's voice said into the phone. He cringed at the name 'Nicholas.' Nick always hated it when people called him by his real name.

"What's up Mom?"

"Your father and I were at the game. I can't believe you guys lost!"

"Me neither," Nick said, the anger he had felt earlier growing back.

"Well, I'm sure it'll be an eye-opener for your players. I'm sure they'll do their best next game," His mother mused.

Nick hated discussing football with his mother, the reason being she didn't understand the rules of it. He especially hated discussing it after a loss because it just reminded him about the poor playing of his players.

"I sure hope so. Practice will not be fun for them in the morning!" Nick said, seriously. Tomorrow's practice would be pure conditioning.

"Now, don't be too hard on them!"

Nick respected him mother, he really did. But she just didn't understand the concept of football. This wasn't little league baseball. It was a high school male sport and it wasn't supposed to be taken lightly. When these boys signed up for football, they knew it would not be easy work.

"I won't, Ma," Nick said with a sigh.

"Good.. So have you got plans for tomorrow night?" His mother asked curiously.

"Not yet. I'll probably hang out with the guys or something.."

"Nick, when are you gonna get a girlfriend?" His mother asked impatiently.

"Mom, I will. Just give it some time." Nick said. He was growing annoyed with his mother's constant badgering.

"When, Nicholas? All you seem to be concerned about is your football. It's like you're married to the sport. You need to get out there and find yourself a nice, young lady. Someone you can settle down and start a family with."

"I am not married to football…totally. I will find a girlfriend eventually, Mom. Now's just not a good time. I have too much going on."

Nick was being truthful. He was busy enough with his job as a physical therapist and coaching. How was he supposed to make time for a girlfriend?

"I hope so, Nick. I really do. I'm sorry if I'm getting you annoyed by continuing to ask you. I just want to see you happy. That's all I want, you know that," His mother said truthfully.

"It's ok," Nick said and he meant it. He knew his mother wanted the best for him.

"Alright, well, I'll let you go! I know you have to wake up early tomorrow for practice!"

"Yeah, goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, Nicholas."

Nick hit 'end' on his phone. He just wanted to go to bed.

However, to his dismay, the journalist was still on his mind.

"Ughhh, I'm never gonna get to sleep!" Nick said, clearly frustrated and annoyed.

Nick wasn't sure why he couldn't get the journalist off his mind but he knew he needed to do something about. He lay there for a while trying to remember what newspaper or magazine she was from. He knew it had some dumb title.

"Shining bright? No.. Good days? No.." Nick muttered to himself trying to remember where the journalist was from. All he could do was picture her bright green eyes show hurt and fear while he was yelling at her.

Nick knew what he had done was wrong and he was determined to fix it.

**A/N**

**Hey guys, Lucy here!**

**I deleted my other story because it didn't seem to be going anywhere. But this story is all planned out so I WILL finish it. Promise. **

**The next chapter is written and will probably be out in the next week or so. Maybe sooner if I get lots of reviews!**

**I hope you guys like this chapter (: Please read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Monday morning, Miley Stewart was back at Happy Life Magazine working hard. She had tried her best to type up an article on Friday's football game without the interview but it was very difficult to make it to the length she needed. Now, Miley was contemplating just making the interview up because she highly doubted anyone who knew him would read it. She sure as hell didn't think the jerk of a coach last night read Happy Life Magazine. In fact, she was sure no men probably read it at all.

Miley began making up the interview to add a bit of length to the article. She kept his responses short so there was not really anything that would stand out and make people comment on his responses. That was all she needed. Then she would have to explain how he really never said any of it and how she just thought up what he would probably say. Somehow she did not think that would go over well with Helga. Therefore, she kept the coach's commentary short and sweet.

However, she couldn't refrain from making his responses make him sound like a terrible coach. Not after the way he had treated her the previous Friday night.

There was a knock on the door just as Miley was finishing up her article.

"Come in!" Miley called, not looking up from her computer. She figured it was Justin telling her Helga wanted to talk to her about how her article was coming along.

"Hi..." A foreign voice said kind of awkwardly. Not recognizing the voice, Miley glanced up.

"Hey.." Miley responded just as awkwardly.

At first, Miley had no idea who he was. It took her a moment before she realized it was the coach who had yelled at her on Friday.

Miley could not believe she had failed to notice how attractive he was the night before. He was so gorgeous, he could model.

"I , uh, I brought you these," the coach said nervously, holding out a bunch of tulips to her. Miley hated tulips but she was not going to tell him that.

"Uh, thanks," Miley responded, not quite sure why this man who had screamed at her last night was now giving her tulips. She put the vase down on the desk.

"It was no problem, really," the coach responded.

Miley awkwardly nodded, not sure what to say. She was confused, to say the least, as to why he was standing in her office.

"Mind if I take a seat?" The man asked, a bit more confidence in his voice.

"Sure," Miley said. In all honesty, she didn't have time for this. She had an article to finish writing and she was sure this man would once again be no help.

"I just wanted to apologize for screaming at you last night. I was being-"

Miley cut him off.

"A complete and total jerk?" Miley finished for him with sass in her tone.

"Yeah, you could say that. Listen, I normally don't act like that. In fact, it's a rare occurrence I act like that at all. You just caught me at a really bad time. I'm sorry if I upset you or anything.." The coach replied sincerely.

"To be honest, I was cursing your name the entire way home," Miley responded, not a hint of emotion in her voice.

"If I were you, I would've done the exact same thing. Look, I am really embarrassed by the way I acted the other night and I was hoping to make it up to you. I would be happy to do the interview for you now, if you want me to."

"Well, I already started to fill it out.." Miley said and then clamped her hand over her mouth. That wasn't supposed to have come out.

She tried to take it back, "What I mean is, I-"

"Guessed what I would answer to your questions?" The coach asked, amused. He had a smirk on his face.

"..Something like that.." Miley said, embarrassed. Her face was a deep shade of red.

"Well, let's see how I compare to your answers for the questions?" The coach asked, still smiling.

".. Ok. I'm Miley by the way.." She said and then added, "But I'm sure you already know that seeing as you found my office.."

"Yeah, you introduced yourself the other night.. But I didn't. I'm Nick," he said, holding out his hand.

Miley shook his outstretched hand and smiled a little.

"Well, that's get this interview started!" Miley said, hoping he forgot about the fact that she had already made up some of the answers to the questions. That would not be good if it got back to the boss.

"Ok, let's. What's the first question?"

"How do you feel about the outcome of the game?" Miley asked, laying her hands on the keyboard, getting ready to type his response.

"Alright, so, what did you expect I'd say?" Nick asked curiously.

Miley gave a sheepish grin, her face turning pink again. Nick hadn't forgotten after all.

"Ummm, I was really angry at you when I wrote these so please don't take any offense. I thought you'd say, 'It doesn't really matter to me whether we win or lose. It's the players' fault if we lose, I can't do anything to help them while they play.'"

Nick began to chuckle.

"I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you but did you really think I'd say that?"

"Ummm... Yes?" Miley responded.

"Good thing I showed up then or my name might be tarnished," Nick joked.

Miley smiled a bit. A teeny, tiny smile at him.

"Look, it's my job to come up with the questions, not the answers. It's not really my forte. Now, what's your real answer?" Miley asked.

"Well, I was not happy whatsoever after that game but to be honest, it was a learning experience for the entire team. I think it showed them that just because we were undefeated and the other team hadn't won a game yet, didn't mean the game was ours. It showed them that they had to go out there and give 110% every Friday night, regardless of who the opponent was. I think the loss also brought them closer together as a team because they all wanted to win our next game against the Warriors so much more," Nick responded and then glanced up at Miley after, as if asking if his answer were ok.

"Perfect. Ok, next question. What values do you feel drove your team to improve so much from last year's season?" Miley asked, pulling a loose piece of hair back behind her ear.

"And what did you think I would say?" Nick asked.

"Are we going to do this for every single question?" Miley asked, giggling.

"Yes, we are," Nick said with a smile and sat awaiting her response.

"Ok. I said that you'd say, 'My expertise coaching.'"

"You really thought I was that big of an ass Friday night?" Nick asked with raised eyebrows.

"Pretty much," Miley responded, embarrassed. Nick chuckled.

"I really don't blame you for thinking that," Nick replied, sincerely. In truth, he really didn't care that she had made answers up for his responses. He kind of doubted many people read Happy Life Magazine anyway. Plus, he was amused by the answers she thought he would say.

"Just answer the question," Miley said, grinning.

At first she had just forgotten to be angry with Nick when he walked through the door because she had been taken so off guard. Now, however, she truly wasn't all that angry with him. In fact, she thought he was an ok guy and enjoyed his sense of humor.

"The number one value that drove our team was teamwork. This year's captains really worked hard to bring the guys closer together as a family. The closer the guys got, the more they shared that common goal of wanting to win. There was also the value of determination. From the very first practice, these boys worked their hardest. Over the summer many of the guys worked out to prepare for the season. Their dedication really paid off as you can see from our season so far," Nick replied and Miley continued to type.

"These are good responses. Ok, next question. What's your favorite part about coaching?"

Nick crossed his legs in his seat and folded his arms as he leaned back.

"I'd just love to hear what you answered this one with," He said, grinning.

"For the record, I wasn't really going to publish these answers. I wrote them to vent a bit of my anger. I wrote in, 'My favorite part about coaching is getting to scream at people. I just love bossing people around. I really love screaming in women's faces to. It gives me a great sense of authority," Miley said, embarrassed by what she had written. She looked away from Nick.

"I apologize again. I must have really rubbed you the wrong way for you to write a response like that," Nick responded.

"It's ok. So, how would you answer it?" Miley asked, changing the subject quickly away from her response.

"What I love most about coaching is the fact that this is what I've always knew I wanted to do. Even when I played in high school and college. As a player, my coaches had such a big influence on my life. I wanted to be able to do the same thing for other boys and now, here I am."

"Aw, whaddya know? You do have a sensitive side.." Miley said with a grin.

"I guess I do.." Nick replied.

"Alright. So the final question is 'what do you think the key to happiness is?'"

"Well, the answer you wrote should be quite interesting.." Nick said, waiting for her to tell her what it was.

"This was probably my best one. 'I think the key to happiness would be for me to see a psychologist since I certainly have some anger issues. I should also not flip out on innocent woman. Not that I have a chance of getting married anyways."

Nick laughed and then smiled.

"You're way off on that one. My real answer is, 'I think the key to happiness is to do what you love and be with people that make you happy. The only real way to happiness is to go out there and follow your dreams. To make the most out of this life that you possibly can."

"Thankfully, that too is better than what I made up. Maybe this article won't suck as much as I thought it would.." Miley said, thoughtfully.

"Well, no article about me sucks. Period," Nick joked.

"When I make things up about you it does," Miley said and smirked.

Nick folded his hands in his lap and smiled at Miley. He gazed straight her.

"So, do you maybe wanna go out sometime?" Nick asked.

"Ummm..." Miley said, not quite sure how to refuse him. He seemed nice now but she had not forgotten how much of an ass he had been on Friday night.

"Is that a no?" Asked Nick, a bit of hurt showing on his face.

"I'm afraid so," Miley replied awkwardly.

"Alright. Well, I'll see you around, Miley," Nick said as he stood up and walked towards her office door.

"Bye Nick," Miley called after him as he walked out into the hallway.

Miley stared out the doorway after him for a few minutes, and then turned back to her computer. She had an article to write.

**A/N**

**I know it's pretty short but I kind of liked where it cut off. I had such a crappy day today and just needed to write to get my mind off of it. But, on the bright side, you guys got an update out of it (: **

**Thanks for the reviews, I enjoy reading them! & a special shoutout to MissQueenyB for being the first to review it!**

**Next one will probably be out within the week. I can't promise anything though because I have a lot going on with school right now. **

**Read and Review, please!**

**~Luce**


	3. Chapter 3

"Woah, woah, woah! Let me get this straight! This hot guy shows up in your office brings you flowers just to apologize for being rude to you Friday night and you turn him down. Are you crazy?!" Lily asked, a bewildered look on her face.

"Pretty much. But in my defense he was a TOTAL jerk Friday night," Miley replied, not seeing anything that crazy about the situation at all.

"So what! You caught him at a bad time! He's probably heartbroken you turned him down!" Lily exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in disbelief that Miley could say no to him.

"Somehow I don't think this big, macho football coach guy is heartbroken I turned him down..." Miley replied truthfully. Nick certainly did not look like the type to be upset over a girl he just met.

"And how do you know that? You didn't even give the guy a chance!"

"Lily, this really is not that big a deal. I just don't think he would be boyfriend material. That's all," Miley said with a shrug.

Lily leaned back on the couch and groaned.

"But you don't know that because when he asked you out, you said no. When you very easily could've said yes," Lily replied.

"But I said no so it doesn't matter now," Miley said stubbornly.

"But you regret saying yes," Lily said eagerly.

"I didn't say that. Look, can we just change the subject?" Miley asked.

"I guess. Since this hot coach of yours wasn't up to your standards, we're going to need to go looking out to find you a boyfriend much more often!" Lily said, excitedly. For some reason, Lily got overly excited at the idea of finding a Miley a guy.

"Look, Lily. We all want love. We want to have someone to love and we want to be loved by someone. But love shows up in the most unexpected places, at the most unpredictable time, and with the most surprising people. You can't go out looking for it because love will find you when it's ready," Miley said. She pulled her hair to the side of her head and ran her fingers through it.

"Aww, Miley! That was so cute!" Lily said. She leaned across the couch and hugged her best friend.

"Ok. Now, let's talk about you and Oliver," Miley said referring to Lily's longtime boyfriend. She leaned back out of the hug.

"Well..." Began Lily.

"Alright, boys, bring it in!" Called Cody, Nick's assistant coach.

"Today, we're going to work defense! Friday, you boys made a bunch of defensive mistakes that cost us the game! We won't let that happen again this week!" Cody continued, pulling out his clipboard with the defensive plays, getting ready to explain who should move where and when.

"No, no. I think we should do a little running first!" Nick spoke in a loud tone.

"You boys need to learn that you can't go into a game cocky and expect to win! You need to try your best every second you step onto this field. And I'm not going to treat you like men until you stop horsing around and learn to act a little more mature! And to teach you that, we're running 40x100m sprints for time!" Nick spoke, speaking in an authoritative tone.

"Man, don't you think that's a little harsh," Cody whispered to Nick.

"No, I don't think it is! These boys need to learn that there are punishments for mistakes. We can't baby them!" Nick spoke, bitterly.

"Line up on the end zone!" Nick ordered, pulling out his stopwatch.

"Dude, why are in such a bad mood? You never yell at them like that or make these harsh punishments.."Cody observed thoughtfully.

"I'm fine!" Nick said with more force than he meant to.

"Ok, then.." Cody said, taken aback by Nick's tone.

"I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to yell.. It's just, there's this woman," Nick said, cautiously.

"Is Nick Grey getting into a tizzy over a woman? I never thought the day would come!" Cody exclaimed, grinning.

"Dude, shut up!" Nick said jokingly and then added, "It's just I think I might really like her and she turned me down."

Cody grinned, "I can't believe you're getting all worked up over a woman. Who is she?"

"You know the reporter that I screamed at on Friday?" Nick asked and Cody nodded.

"It was her."

Cody burst out laughing. "So you screamed at her and now you want to take her out? I don't blame her for saying no.."

"Me neither..." Nick said, and then turned his attention back to the players.

"Ok, on your mark, get set..." Nick blew the whistle and his players raced across the field.

"You're gonna make them do all 40?" Cody asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course. They need to learn some mistakes can't be taken back and won't be forgiven easily," Nick said and blew the whistle again, signaling the players to run back across the field.

Cody picked up on the fact Nick was hinting at his mistake of screaming at the reporter.

"Gotta teach them these things while they're young," Nick said, bitterly, and then blew the whistle once again.

"Miley! Come out to eat with me and Oliver tonight! You might even meet a guy..." Lily said, trying to entice Miley to go out to dinner with them.

Lily sat cross-legged on the couch and Miley relaxed, laying down on the floor.

"Lily, how many times do we have to go over this? I will find a guy when the time is right and now just isn't the right time."

"Ok, ok," Lily said, putting her hands up as if surrendering. "But then just come out to dinner for the fun of it!"

"I dunno, Lily. I don't really feel like being a third-wheel tonight.."

"Well, you could be on a date right now but you had to go and say no to a hot guy interested in you!" Lily said.

"Ugh, I refuse to go out with a guy just because he's hot. He needs to have a nice personality too..." Miley replied seriously.

"Ok, whatever. Let's just go out as three best friends tonight. Pleaaaassee?" Lily begged.

"Fine.." Miley said, giving in relunctantly.

Later on that night, Milley, Oliver, and Lily were seated around a small table in the quaint Italian restaurant just outside of LA.

Lily and Oliver were holding hands on top of the table and acting all lovey-dovey even though they had previously promised Miley that they would try and hold back on the PDA.

"Aw, Ollikens, you're so cute," Lily cooed and smiled at him.

"Nope, I'm afraid you're cuter," Oliver said with a cheeky grin.

Miley rolled her eyes. Lily and Oliver had been dating since high school and yet she still wasn't used to their overly romantic relationship. It wasn't that Miley was against a bit of romance. It was that she just preferred hers in private.

"So, what are you ordering?" Miley asked, trying to get the couple to focus on something else other than each other.

"Lasagna, definitely," Oliver said and Lily agreed with him.

"I'm thinking about the spaghetti and meatballs," Miley said and glanced up at Lily and Oliver. She was shocked to see who was seated behind the happy couple.

Miley awkwardly made eye contact with Nick at the table behind them. He was sitting there with another guy who was blond.

Miley glanced away, trying to pretend she hadn't seen him in the first place. When she looked up to see if he was looking at her, he gave a small wave.  
Miley awkwardly smiled in return, not knowing what else to do. Boy, was this awkward.

"Who are you smiling at?" Lily asked, not wanting to turn around and look for fear it would draw unwanted attention towards Miley.

"The football coach..." Miley said as if it were perfectly normal.

"No way!" Lily exclaimed with a slight giggle.

"Yeah.." Miley replied and then looked down at her menu trying to avoid making any further awkwardness with Nick.

No such luck.

Miley glanced up and saw that Nick had stood up and was heading towards the table she sat at.

Miley crossed her fingers and turned away from the aisle, praying Nick was heading to the restroom and was not planning on dropping by her table.  
Unfortunately for her, Nick stopped right next to her table and turned directly towards her. Miley awkwardly turned towards him.

"Hi Miley," Nick said, confidence filling his voice.

"Heyyyyy.." Miley let the end of it drag off.

"Kinda ironic me and you both ended up at the same restaurant after I asked you out and you turned me down, eh?" Nick asked, and chuckled lightly.

Miley only nodded.

"It sure is! Maybe it's a sign of fate you two should go out!" Lily said, jumping into the conversation. Miley shot her a look that was anything but pleasant.

"I think your friend, here, has a point," Nick smiled at Miley as he gestured towards Lily.

"I don't know.." Miley said hesitantly.

"Look, just give me a chance. One date. No strings attached. If you don't want to go out again after, I'll leave you alone," Nick said honestly and then added, "I just want to give us a shot. You're a special girl, Miley."

"Ok," Miley nodded. "That sounds fair."

Lily squealed from across the table at the news of Miley agreeing to go out with Nick. Oliver just shook his head at Lily and her perky personality.

Nick awkwardly glanced at Lily and then returned his gaze to Miley.

"So, you free tomorrow night?" Nick asked Miley.

"Yes," Miley responded.

"Cool. I have to coach until 6 but after that I'm free. I'll pick you up 7?" Nick offered.

"I can just meet you there," Miley said, fairly convinced a car ride alone with him would be beyond awkward seeing as they hardly knew one another.

"No, no. I'll pick you up. It's no problem. It wouldn't be a real date if I didn't drive you there anyways," Nick said smirking.

"Ok, then. Here, I'll give you my address. Unless, you found it online when you were trying to figure out where I worked?" Miley joked.

"I actually did not," Nick said, blushing.

"Here you go, then," Miley said, handing him a napkin with the address to Lily and her's apartment.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow at seven, Miley," Nick said, taking the napkin and reading it before folding it in half and placing it in his pocket.

"Bye Nick," Miley said as he walked away.

"Oh my gosh! You did not mention he was that hot!" Lily gushed once Nick had returned to his table.

"Hey!" Oliver said, pretending to be offended that she thought Nick was hot.

Miley and Lily giggled at his response.

"But, seriously, Miley. How did you say no to him this morning and then almost say no to him again? He's beyond gorgeous. Not to mention, extremely nice," Lily said, not understanding her best friend's rationale.

"Well, you didn't see the way he yelled at me on Friday," Miley said, slightly defensively.

"But he brought you flowers to apologize!" Lily whispered back.

"I know! I was there!" Miley said, giggling. Lily giggled as well.

"Well, it doesn't even matter anymore because you're going on a date with practically the hottest guy ever!" Lily said.

Again, Oliver pretended to be offended. "Uh, right here?"

"Well, next to you, Ollikins, of course," Lily said, shooting him a grin.

Oliver kissed Lily's nose.

Miley groaned inwardly at their display of affection. And then, she smiled because she thought about her and Nick might be able to act that way with each other too.

Miley immediately shook the thought from her head, reminding herself she barely even knew the guy.

When Nick returned back to his table he grinned and held up the napkin out in front of him with Miley's address written on it.

"Nice one! She's freaking hot!" Cody exclaimed in a hushed tone so the the table behind them couldn't hear him.

"Tell me about it. I'm taking her out tomorrow night," Nick said grinning proudly.

"Where you gonna bring her?" Cody asked curiously.

"I'm not sure yet. Somewhere romantic but not over-the-top romantic.." Nick said thinking.

"Movies?" Cody offered as a suggestion.

"That's gotta be the most boring idea ever. We can't even talking in the theater," Nick pointed out.

The men's food arrived at the table and the two of them began to eat.

"I don't think Miley is your typical woman either. I want to do something special," Nick said racking his brain for ideas.

"You could take her bowling?"

"No, no. This date has to be perfect or she probably won't go out with me again," Nick muttered and took a bite out of steak.

"Dude, relax! Everything will run smoothly!" Cody reassured him. He took a sip from his glass of soda.

"I hope so," Nick said glancing behind Cody at the sight of the beautiful brunette. Miley smiled cutely at him and he winked back at her.

**Hey guys!**

**I know it's been a few weeks and I'm sorry! My little sister managed to break my laptop :( & it took forever to fix. But, the good news is, I already have about half of the next chapter written so that should be out soon. Maybe even this weekend :D The more you review, the sooner I'll post it!**

**I really hate this chapter. A lot. I kept going over it and over it and couldn't find out how to make it better. However, the next chapter is when it gets really good. It will all be about Nick & Miley's date. **

**Please review! I love reading each and every single one of them. Tell me what you think!**

**Hope you like it!**

**~Luce**


	4. Chapter 4

It was unlike Nick Grey to get nervous for a date. In fact, he rarely got nervous for anything. But for this date with Miley, he had about a million butterflies dancing around in his stomach and he wasn't quite sure why.

Nick had sped home from practice in his Mustang, probably going at least 20 miles per hour over the speed limit. He had jogged into the house where he put on a button down light blue shirt and a pair of deep-wash jeans. The night before he had spent a great deal of time agonizing over what to wear and had finally decided to wear this particular outfit because it was neither too casual nor too dressy.

Nick glanced at himself in the mirror and ran his fingers through his curly hair, trying to tame it even though he knew the task was completely impossible. He nervously spent a few minutes deciding whether to leave his shirt tucked into his pants or not. In the end, he decided to tuck it in.

He grabbed his keys off the kitchen counter and slipped on his pair of chocolate-colored dress shoes before exiting his house.

Nick glanced down at his watch and realized he only had 10 minutes before he had to be at Miley's apartment. He quickly got into the driver's and stuck in the ignition.

Nick backed out of the driveway and tried to calm himself down as he drove towards Miley's apartment.

"She's just a girl, Nick. You've done this a million times. Relax," Nick said aloud to himself. Only, Nick knew Miley wasn't just a 'girl.' For one, Miley was absolutely beautiful. Model material even. And she also made him laugh like no one else could. Miley was far from a pushover and had a good amount of confidence that Nick found to be quite attractive. He did not want to screw this date up because Miley was so much more than every other girl he had previously dated.

Nick pulled into the apartment's garage at 6:58. He grabbed the dozen roses off the passenger seat and climbed out of the car. Nick walked into the lobby and proceded towards the elevators where he pressed the button for floor 8.

Meanwhile, Miley was nervous as well. Lily was helping her pick out a dress and it seemed as though nothing looked right.

"Miley, just pick one! You look great in everything!" Lily said as she looked at the remnants of Miley's closet sprawled out across the room.

"I want to knock him off his feet, Lily," Miley said as she tried on yet another dress. This one was navy blue and it hugged her body all the way down. The top was cut into a deep v, showing off her cleavage.

"That one is a little too much for a first date, don't you think?" Lily asked nicely.

"Ughh, you're right! Nothing in my closet works right!" Miley said as she ripped the dress off her body. She stood there in her underwear and bra looking at Lily desperately for help.

"We'll find something, don't worry. Anyways, does it really matter? I thought you didn't really like him because of the way he yelled at you Friday night," Lily said, smirking. She walked over to the bed and began going through the dresses, trying to find a dress that would work nicely for a first date.

"Well, I changed my mind. I think I like him. Tonight will be the determining factor, though. If he's a jerk tonight, I'm completely done with him," Miley said.

"That's fair. Just make sure you give him a chance," Lily said and then she spotted the perfect dress in a heap on top of Miley's make-up table.

"I will," Miley said as Lily handed her the dress.

"This is the one," Lily said, positive that she was right.

The dress was a deep purple. It had short-sleeves and was tight around her chest. Below her chest, it flared out a bit and was loose fitting the rest of the way down. Along the bust, there were little purple flowers.

Miley turned spun around a circle for Lily after putting it on.

"Perfect!" Lily exclaimed and hugged her best friend.

"Nick is going to absolutely melt when he sees you!" Lily added and then pulled away from the hug.

"Thanks, Lily," Miley said honestly. Lily always gave Miley's self-confidence a special boost that only a best friend was capable of giving.

"We need to find you shoes! I know you probably want to wear heels but I think a pair of black flats would look adorable. And you don't know if you'll be walking a lot," Lily said handing Miley a pair of black flats that had a bow at the end.

Miley put them on her feet and her smile grew even bigger.

"These are great, Lily! You're always thinking! I would've just thrown on a pair of heels. What would I do without you?" Miley joked.

Lily smiled at her best friend, "You'd be completely lost. Nick's not gonna know what hit him when he comes through that door!"

"I hope so!"

"Do you want me to do something with you hair or are you going wavy tonight?" Lily questioned.

"I'm going naturally wavy," Miley replied.

"Good. That looks the best on you. Want me to pin some of it back?" Lily offered.

"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks!"

Just as they were finishing, the doorbell rang. Lily and Miley squealed like teenagers.

"I'll get it, you go grab your purse!" Lily said as she sprinted down the hall to the door and opened it.

"Hey," Nick said, surprised to not see Miley standing there.

"Hey! I'm Lily! We kinda, sorta met last night," Lily said with a smile.

"Nick," He said, holding out his hands for her to shake. Lily shook it.

"You can come in, if you want. Miley should be down in a second. She's just grabbing her purse," Lily said and made room for Nick to walk in through the door.

"Thanks," Nick said. He looked around the kitchen for a minute, not quite sure what to say to Lily.

"Sooooo…how's life?" Lily asked awkwardly in a failed attempt of making small talk. Nick gave her a funny look.

"Pretty good..." Nick said and was about to ask her how she was doing when Miley entered the room and thankfully, ended the painful conversation.

Nick took in a breath when he saw her. She looked absolutely beautiful. Nick didn't know if there was any other way to describe her.

"You look beautiful," Nick said as he walked over to her and handed her the roses.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," She joked back at him.

Nick grinned at her.

"Let me just put these in a vase with some water and we can leave," Miley said, heading over to the cabinet above the sink.

"Sounds great," Nick responded.

"So, where are we going?" Miley asked as she turned on the tap to pour some water into the face.

"It's a surprise," Nick said, smiling mysteriously.

"Tell me!" Miley said excitedly.

"Nope, it is top secret information," Nick joked and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Lily giggles from the other side of the kitchen. Miley and Nick turned to look at her. They had not been aware she was still listening to their conversation.

"Sure it is.. Ok, I'm all set! Bye Lily!" Miley said hugging Lily quickly before heading out the door behind Nick.

Once in the hall, Nick stopped and turned to her.

"You know, I meant it when I told you that you look gorgeous," Nick said to her.

Miley blushed.

"Thanks, Nick," Miley responded honestly.

Nick liked how Miley was a girl who could take a compliment. She didn't stand there arguing that he was lying. She just accepted it politely. Nick appreciated that in a girl.

The couple walked through the hallway and down the elevator in comfortable silence.

"This way," Nick said when they reached the parking garage. He pointed her towards his car.

"Nice car!" Miley said truthfully. There was a side to Miley that loved cars.

"Thank you," Nick said, as he opened the car door for her. Miley smiled at him and got into the car.

Nick went around to the other side of the car and got into the driver's seat.

"You know, you're the first guy to ever open a car door for me," Miley said.

Nick raised his eyebrows at her. "What type of guys do you usually go out with?"

Miley laughed, "I usually don't have the best of luck with men, to be honest."

"Well, maybe that changed for you tonight," Nick said as he began to steer the car towards their destination.

"Maybe it did," Miley said and she hoped she was right.

The couple sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, taking in the scenery around them. The sun was just setting and the sky was filled with dozens of pinks, oranges, and yellows.

"So, when are you gonna tell me where we're going?" Miley asked curiously.

"You'll know once we get there," Nick replied.

"How do I know you're not kidnapping me?" Miley asked with a smirk on her face.

"You just gotta trust me," Nick replied. And, surprisingly enough, Miley found herself doing just that. She trusted Nick.

For the remainder of the car ride, the two of them sat enjoying the view of the sunset. Before long, Nick put the car in park in a small parking lot along the shore. Besides them was a long pier that stretched out into the ocean.

"We're here," Nick said as he unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. He walked around to the opposite side of the car and opened Miley's door. He extended his hand to her and she accepted, using it to help herself out of his car.

"Wow, it's beautiful," Miley said staring out at the waves crashing against the pale sand, mesmerized.

"I thought you might like the view," Nick said.

"You'd have to be crazy not to," Miley said, continuing to stare out at the water as they walked towards the main drag.

"I thought we'd have dinner at this little seafood restaurant over here called the Lonely Oyster. And then, I figured we could walk around on the boardwalk, maybe even go for a ride on the Ferris Wheel. Does that sound ok with you?" Nick asked honestly caring about her opinion.

"It sounds absolutely perfect," Miley replied and gave Nick a toothy grin.

"I'm glad," Nick said, and he really was. He had agonized over where to bring Miley for a long time, not wanting to bring her to somewhere she wouldn't have fun.

The twosome approached the restaurant and Nick opened the door and allowed Miley to pass in before him. The restaurant was quaint and had an old-fashioned interior. Along the walls hung murals of boats out on the ocean.

A hostess approached them and after learning of their reservation brought them over to a small table in the corner. The couple promptly sat down.

"Have I told you that you look stunning tonight yet?" Nick asked and Miley giggled.

"Maybe once or twice," Miley responded joking.

"Good. Because I firmly believe a woman as beautiful as you should be constantly reminded how special you are."

Miley blushed. On the inside, she was beaming. She could not believe how sweet this guy was.

"Thank you," Miley quietly replied, her face still a deep shade of red.

"So, Miley, you like journalism, I assume?" Nick asked after a moment of silence.

"I do. But I hate my job, if that makes any sense," Miley said and then added, "What I mean is, I love to write. I always have but this job at Happy Life Magazine is just not what I want to do with my life. I want to be able to express my own opinions; not the opinions my boss has."

Nick nodded and took a sip of his water. His arms sat crossed on the table.

"I can totally understand where you're coming from," Nick said honestly.

"I'm just kind of hanging out at the magazine until a better job comes along. How about you? Do you like your job?" Miley asked, sincerely interested in his answer.

"Well, I love coaching. Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to coach. I don't know if I told you this, but I work as a physical therapist at a clinic during the day. I love that too. It's so nice to know you're helping someone get better and know you're the reason why," Nick said truthfully.

"That's good. It seems like you're at a really good place in your life right now," Miley responded. She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear.

"A place that got a whole lot better tonight," Nick said, obviously flirting with Miley.

"Yeah, why's that?" Miley said, just as flirtatious.

"Well, I met this woman. And she finally agreed to go out on a date with me. So I'm a very happy guy," Nick said.

"Must be a pretty fantastic woman," Miley joked.

"Trust me, she is," Nick said seriously. He winked at Miley across the table, who blushed once again.

"So, are you an only child?" Nick asked curiously after their food arrived and they began eating.

"I have an older brother, Jackson," Miley said and then took a bite of her filet of sole.

"You two get along?" Nick asked.

"I guess as much as any older brother and little sister do. Growing up, we fought a lot but now that we're older we've started getting closer," Miley responded.

"Well, no siblings have a perfect relationship. Trust me. I have three brothers and a sister," Nick said.

"That's so great! I always wanted to be in a big family!" Miley exclaimed and then added, "Are they younger or older than you?"

Nick replied after taking a sip of water. "My brother Kevin is the oldest he's 28. Next, is Joe who's 26. Then there's me. And then my sister, Mallory, who's 18 and a senior in high school. And, lastly, my little brother Frankie who's 14 and in the eighth grade."

Miley smiled across the table at Nick. She could tell by the way he was talking that he loved his siblings. His entire face lit up when he talked about them. Miley found this to be very attractive especially because she, herself, had always wanted to feel as though she were apart of a giant family where everyone got along.

"It must be fun to have all those siblings," Miley mused.

"I guess it is. But, there have been a share of days when I wished I were an only child," Nick said truthfully.

Miley nodded. "I think there are days we all do."

The conversation between the two of them flowed comfortably for the remainder of dinner. When the bill arrived, Nick quickly swept it up and would not give Miley as much as a chance to try and split the bill before placing his debit card in the holder and handing it to the waiter.

"Thank you, Nick," Miley said sweetly. She loved the way he acted like a gentlemen in every situation.

"My pleasure, Ms. Miley," He responded, a smile on his face.

Miley returned the smile at him.

"So, whaddya say we go walk around on the boardwalk?" Nick asked.

"Sounds great," Miley said as she stood up.

Nick led the way out of the restaurant and the two of them headed toward the boardwalk. On the boardwalk was a Ferris Wheel along with a few other rides, game booths, various food vendors, and a few shops that sold souvenir-type products.

"Wow, it's so pretty all lit up," Miley said taking in the scenery.

Nick grinned at her and then, confidently, took her hand in his. At first, he was afraid she might try and pull her hand away but to his surprise, she held on. Miley even gave his hand a little squeeze to let him know she liked it.

"I say we go for a ride on the ferris wheel," Nick said, once they were on the boardwalk.

"Let's!" Miley said excitedly. She pulled Nick in the direction of the Ferris Wheel hurriedly. Nick chuckled at her child-like eagerness. He found it to be cute.

The twosome got in the back of the line. Miley turned to face him.

"Wanna hear something really weird?" She asked. He nodded. Nick honestly wanted to know everything and anything Miley might want to say to him.

"I've never been on a Ferris Wheel before," Miley replied. Nick glanced at her for a second, not sure whether she was being serious.

"For real?" He asked.

"Yep."

"You were a deprived child," He joked.

"I've really never been on one. My brother is afraid of heights. And my dad was always working throughout my childhood to take the time to bring me to one," Miley said, honestly.

"Well, then I guess tonight is special. Your first time on a Ferris Wheel is a pretty big deal," Nick said grinning.

"I know! I'm honestly pretty excited!"

"I couldn't tell. You only dragged me over here at top speed," Nick joked and Miley mockingly hit him.

The two of them quickly reached the front of the line and climbed into a cart. They sat on the same side and looked at over the water. The lights from the boardwalk created a pretty illusion on the water.

"How's your first ride on the Ferris Wheel?" Nick asked her, looking at her and she turned towards him.

"Absolutely perfect."

Nick studied her for a moment and then leaned in to kiss her. Miley turned her head away from him. Nick felt heat rushing to his cheeks, embarrassed.

"Did I do something wrong?" Nick asked her, wanting to know why she had refused his kiss.

"You tried to break my rule."

"And that would be..?" Nick asked really confused.

"I don't kiss guys on the first date," Miley responded, finally glancing over at him to see his reactions.

"Fair enough," Nick said, slightly disappointed because he had really wanted to kiss her.

After a moment's pause and noticing Nick's disappointment, Miley added, "But, I think I could make a special exception for you."

Nick looked her in the eyes and then kissed her passionately just as their car cart reached the top of the Ferris Wheel.

**Hey guys!**

**I know this is up a little later than expected but I'm really happy with the way it came up so I hope that makes up for the wait!**

I'm not sure when the next one will be out but most likely within the next week and a half!

Please, please, please review! You guys don't understand how much I love reading every single one of your reviews!

**~ Lucy**


	5. Chapter 5

Miley Stewart was not a morning person. However, the day after her date with Nick, Miley awoke with a smile plastered on her face. She could not recall the last time she had woken up in a good mood. Especially a work day.

Miley tossed the covers aside and stretched. She went over to her dresser and picked out an outfit for her day at work. After deciding on a pair of black slacks and her favorite light blue top, she headed downstairs and in to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Lily," Miley said, her tone reflecting her good mood.

"Well, someone is in a good mood.. Which can only mean one thing.. Your date last night was amazing! I WANT DETAILS!" Lily said excitedly, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Miley began to retell the events of last night, her lips curled upward the entire time.

"Oh my gosh! He's absolutely adorable! He kissed you at the top of the Ferris Wheel?! How was he at kissing?!" Lily said excitedly. She took a sip of coffee.

"Best kiss of my entire life," Miley responded as she began making a lunch for work. She went over to the cabinet and got out a loaf of bread.

"What happened after he kissed you?!"  
"Well, we got off the Ferris Wheel. And then, he decided a date would not be complete without some ice cream. So, he bought me some ice cream and then took my hand and we went for a walk along the beach," Miley said, laying some turkey onto her slice of bread.

"Eeeeeek!" Lily squealed, happy Miley finally found someone so perfect for her.

"I know!" Miley said excitedly, before adding," And then, he drove me home! And told me I'd be 'hearing from him soon.'"

"Oooh la, la! Sounds like this boy is crazy about you!" Lily sing-songed, making Miley laugh.

"I hope so," Miley said.

"Oh, he his! I can tell! He was so nervous last night when he came to the door!" Lily said, giggling.

"I can't wait for him to call me!" Miley said as she put her lunch inside her tote for work.

"Honey, that boy will be calling you as soon as he gets the chance!" Lily exclaimed right back at Miley, making her laugh.

The two of them headed out to work as usual and went to their respected offices once they arrived. Miley sat down at her computer and sighed heavily. As good of a mood she was in, she still hated her job.

Miley sat down in her chair and began to work on her article. The article she was currently writing was about things a human could learn from a dog to fill their life with more happiness. As always, Miley hated the topic of the article. Today, Miley found it especially hard to write an article on a boring topic because her mind kept wandering back to Nick. His curly hair. The way he made her laugh. His smile. The way her hand felt in his. She just couldn't seem to get him off her mind.

Miley tried her best to force Nick out of her mind so she could get the article done but she just couldn't manage to do so. Throughout the day, she checked her phone periodically, waiting for Nick to call her as he had promised to do so. Miley often glanced down at her phone to make sure she hadn't somehow missed his call. But, each time, she had no missed calls.

Just as 5 o'clock was fast approaching, Miley finished her article. It certainly was one of the worst articles Miley had ever written, but to be honest, she really didn't care.

As she headed out of her office to go home, Lily in tow, she couldn't help but wonder why Nick hadn't called her. Did he not like her anymore? Was she not pretty enough for him? Had she said something the night before that had made him angry with her? The thoughts ran endlessly through her mind.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked as they walked down the office hallway. She had noticed that Miley was not nearly as happy as she had been this morning, and also that she was exceptionally quiet.

"Well, Nick didn't call me. And, he promised he would.." Miley stated.

"Miles, I'm sure he just got busy. I'm sure he didn't do it intentionally. From the sounds of your date last night, he had a great time. The day is not even nearly over yet, give him some more time to call," Lily said. When she wanted to be, Lily could be very serious and could also give some great advice.

"Thanks, Lils. I'm sure you're right," Miley said, trying to cheer herself up in an attempt to please Lily.

"Of course I am," Lily joked as they approached the elevator. Miley hit the arrow pointing down and only seconds later, the elevator doors swung open. The two best friends stepped inside and proceeded downwards in the elevator.

~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure I shouldn't call her yet?" Nick asked Cody, not quite sure Cody was telling him to do the right thing.

"Dude, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that women hate clingy men. So you've got to give her at least a say after the date to give her a call!" Cody replied confidently.

The two coaches were at practice. The players were currently on a 20 minute break to give them time to hydrate and rest a bit before the second half of practice. The first half of practice was usually the more brutal part because it was mainly conditioning. The latter half of practice was usually running drills. Nick liked to let the players recover a bit before focusing on technique.

"I don't know, man. I told her I'd call her today and she seemed happy about it," Nick replied, confused.

"Trust me, you need to give it a little time before you call her. Last night was only a first date," Cody responded, sounding sure of himself.

"I guess," Nick said dubiously, glancing down at his iPhone as if that would tell him what he should do.

"Just wait until tomorrow to call her," Cody said and then whistled his whistle, signifying to his players that it was the end of break.

Later on that night, Nick lay on his couch. On the television, the Patriots were playing the Raiders in an intense game of football. Nick again glanced down at his phone again, debating whether or not he should call Miley.

As if on cue, his phone rang. Only, it wasn't Miley. It was his mother. Nick muted the television before hitting 'answer' on his phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Nicholas. I just thought I'd check in. How are you doing?" His mother asked.

"Pretty good, Mom. How about you?" Nick said, even though on the inside he was torn as to whether it would be better to wait a day to call Miley even though he really wanted to call her right this very second.

"I'm doing well. What have you been up to?" His mother asked curiously.

"Nothing really," Nick replied.

"Any women in your life?" His mother asked, not being able to resist the urge to not ask him about his love life.

"Please don't make a big deal about this but I went out with a woman last night and I really like her," Nick said, bracing himself for the interrogation he was about to get from his mother.

"Oh, how wonderful! Who is she?" His mother asked, dying to know the details.

"Her name is Miley. She's a journalist," Nick said, trying to keep it pretty vague.

"That's a pretty name.. So, you think there might be a future between the two of you?"

Nick groaned and covered his face with his hands.

"Mom, it was one date," Nick replied.

"I know. But it sounds like there will be more to come," His mother said excitedly.

"There probably will be but that doesn't mean we're gonna get married. We're a loooooonng way away from that," Nick responded truthfully. As much as Nick liked Miley he couldn't even begin to think about marrying her.

"I want to meet her."

"Mom, as I said. It was one date. I can't just take her to meet my parents after one date. She's not even my girlfriend."

"Well, why not?"

"Because I don't know her that well first of all and secondly, I don't want to ask her unless I'm positive she'll say yes," Nick said sighing. His mother always gave him the third-degree on his love life.

"Why would she not want to say yes to being your girlfriend?" His mother asked as if it would be absolutely ridiculous for someone to turn her son down. Nick sighed once again.

"Because she doesn't really know me that well," He responded.

"Maybe you should change that then. Call her and ask her out again."

Nick sank into the couch even further. As much as he loved his mother, she frustrated him beyond belief when it came to the women in his life.

"Because if I call her tonight, I'll sound clingy," Nick responded.

His mother laughed out loud.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Women love it when guys call them regardless of how soon after a date it may be," His mother said, a smile evident in her voice.

"Are you sure?" Nick asked, a bit of relief washing over him that he could finally end the debate in his head over whether to call Miley or not.

"Positive, Nicholas. I have been a woman my entire life," She teased him gently.

"Ok. Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll hang up and go call her then," Nick said.

"I wouldn't mind at all."

"Alright, then. Goodnight, Mom. I'll talk to you soon," Nick said, getting ready to end the conversation.

"Goodnight, Nicholas. I love you."

"Love you too," Nick said as he hit the end button on his phone.

Nick took in a deep breath before carefully typing in Miley's number into his dial pad. Now sure that he was doing the right thing, he hit the send button.

After a few rings, a voice picked up on the other end of the line.

"Hello?" Miley's voice asked.

"Hey, it's Nick," Nick responded, confidence in his tone.

"Hi," Miley said smiling. She was happy to finally hear his voice after waiting all day for it.

"So, I have a question for you," Nick said mysteriously.

"And, that would be what?" Miley asked, eager to know the answer.

"I was wondering if I was successful in convincing you to give me chance last night," Nick said.

"I would have to say you were," Miley said, giggling. How could he possibly think last night was anything but perfect to her?

"Good. I'm glad," Nick replied and he smiled a genuine smile.

"Me too."

"What are you doing right now?" Nick asked her curiously.

"Nothing exciting. Watching some awful, sappy love story Lily really wanted to watch," Miley said.

"Hey! I heard that!" Lily shouted in the background of the phone. Nick chuckled.

"So, would you maybe wanna go and get some coffee with me?" Nick asked, dying to see her.

"I would love to," Miley said truthfully.

"Great. I'll pick you up in 15?" Nick asked, making sure that was ok with her.

"Perfect."

"Ok, I'll see you in a few then."

"Bye, Nick."

"Bye."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Exactly 15 minutes later, Nick knocked on Miley's door. Miley opened the door seconds later, wearing a pair of dark-wash jeans and a plain, turquoise long-sleeve shirt.

"Hey," Nick said. As he stepped forward and gave Miley a hug. When he leaned in, he gently kissed her cheek.

"Hey," Miley said as she pulled away from the hug a few seconds later.

"You ready?" Nick asked.

"I am," Miley responded as she grabbed her purse off the counter.

Nick opened the door wider for her and let her walk out in front of him. He followed alongside her as they progressed down the stairs in silence.

Once out on the street, Nick turned and looked at her.

"Where do you like to go for coffee?" He asked her.

"There's a cute little shop just down the road called Coffee Bean we could go to," Miley suggested.

"Fine by me," Nick said, taking Miley's hand in his own and interlocking their fingers. The twosome began walking towards the coffee shop.

"What are you gonna get?" Nick asked her once they were in the small shop.

"I only really like black coffee," Miley responded.

"You're so boring," Nick said jokingly.

"Well, what are you ordering, Mr. Spontaneous?" Miley asked giggling.

"I'm actually going to get a cinnamon latte with cream," Nick responded proudly.

Miley looked up at him.

"Yuck. Black coffee is where it's at," Miley said, grinning at him. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"We'll see about that. You try some of mine and tell me it's not the best combination on planet earth," Nick said and then reached the counter and order their coffee for them.

Nick paid for the coffee and then himself and Miley walked over to a table in the corner.

"Thank you, Nick," Miley said as Nick handed her the cup of coffee.

"My pleasure," Nick responded and then added, "Now, try some of my coffee and see what you're missing out on."

He pushed his mug towards her. Miley scrunched up her nose as she put the straw in her mouth and took a small sip.

"Not too bad, I guess," Miley said after sliding the mug back to Nick.

"A lot better than your plain black over there I'm sure!" Nick said lightly.

"I'm sorry but nothing beats regular black coffee," Miley responded. Nick just smirked at her. Miley melted inside every time Nick smirked at her.

A few moments of comfortable silence passed by as the two sat eating their ice-cream.

"What are you doing Friday night?" Nick asked casually.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"I thought maybe you would want to come to my football game. It's a big game and I have a feeling you might just become my good luck charm," He said, shooting her a wink across the table.

"But the only time I came to your game, you lost," Miley said, giggling.

"Yes but, Friday night you're going to reverse your curse," Nick said smiling at her.

It wasn't often Nick invited someone to watch him coach football. On the sidelines was one of the few places Nick felt completely in his element and he didn't invite anyone there who would cause him to feel uneasy.

"If I can find time in my busy schedule, maybe I'll drop by," Miley said grinning.

"Good. It's a big game and I could use all the support I can get," Nick said honestly.

"Who are you playing?"

"The Spartans."

"They're pretty good, I'm assuming?" Miley questioned.

"Well, they have a really good quarterback for sure. He has quite an arm. He can throw extremely far and accurately. But, they end up running most of their plays because their wide receivers are pretty weak. They're quick for sure but drop the ball a lot. However, they're defense is a lot more solid so we might have a bit of trouble on our offensive end. Their line is just huge guys. So it could be a challenge trying to move the ball. We'll probably end up having to throw a lot," Nick said and then added with a grin, "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

Miley laughed, "Believe it or not, I probably understand more of it than you think. Jackson played football in high school and college. And my dad's a huge Tennessee Titan fan. I was the only girl in the house growing up so I guess I probably spent a bit too much time with them."

Nick smiled at her. He noted how Miley seemed to make no mention of a mom but he didn't bring it up because he didn't feel he knew her well enough yet and he knew it very well might be a touchy subject.

"I like a girl who knows her sports," Nick said. Miley blushed slightly.

"You know you're really cute when you blush," Nick said which only made her blush more. Her face was now a very deep shade of red.

Nick chuckled at her shyness showing through.

"Ok, I'll stop making you blush now," Nick teased lightly and Miley giggled.

"We should probably get going soon. I have work in the morning and I'm sure you do too," Nick said glancing down at his watch after a few moments of silence between the twosome.

"Yeah, I have to be in at 7! Yay!" Miley said sarcastically.

"Me too! Can't wait!" He said equally sarcastically as they stood up and headed out into the night.

The two of them walked back to Miley's apartment, a steady flow of conversation falling nicely between the couple.

When they were outside Miley's apartment, Miley turned and faced him.

"Thank you, Nick. I had a great time," Miley said sincerely.

"I told you. It was my pleasure," Nick replied just as sincerely.

Miley smiled up at him.

Nick leaned down and gently placed his lips against hers. He rested his hands on her hips as she placed her arms around his neck.

Miley pulled back after a short while, still grinning.

"Goodnight, Nick."

"Goodnight, Miley," Nick said as Miley turned around and headed inside her apartment.

Inside Miley was shocked to see a distraught Lily. Miley immediately ran over and put her arms around her.

"Lils, what's wrong?" Mile asked as she held her close to her.

"He's been.. He's been cheating.. On me.. For the.. Past... Month," Lily said in between sobs.

Anger surged through Miley's veins at the thought of Oliver doing that to her best friend.

"Oh, Lily! He's not worth your tears if he would do that to you," Miley responded, trying to calm her down.

"I wasted the last six years... Of my life on him!" Lily screamed.

"I know. But you'll find someone else. I promise," Miley said, still hugging Lily.

Although Lily was happy 95% of the time, when she was upset, she was extremely upset.

"No, I-I .. Won't!" Lily argued angerly.

"Yes, you will," Miley responded and then added, "I'll find you someone special."

"I hate him!" Lily screamed at the top of her lungs, making Miley cringe.

"Lily, sweetie, you need to calm down and get some sleep. You'll feel so much better in the morning," Miley said soothingly.

"No, I won't!" She yelled, still crying hysterically.

"Yes, you will. You're a strong woman, Lily Truscott. And I know you won't let any man keep you from being happy. Now come along and go get a good night's sleep," Miley said confidently.

Lily nodded and stood up, tears pouring down her face. Miley took her hand and pulled her towards her bedroom.

"Go lie down," Miley told her and Lily followed her orders. "Now close your eyes and forget about Oliver. I promise you'll feel so much better in the morning."

Lily curled into a tight ball under the covers. The covers shook up and down violently as Lily sobbed.

Miley stood and watched for a moment, pained at how upset Lily was. Miley knew that she would be just as upset as Lily if she were in her shoes. She knew there was nothing she could say to cheer Lily up so she decided it would be best to just let her sleep.

"Goodnight, Lily. Come wake me up if you need me," Miley said before closing Lily's bedroom door.

Miley walked across the apartment and went into her own bedroom. She quickly changed into a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and an oversized t-shirt.

As she crawled into her bed, she noticed her iPhone screen was lit up, indicating she had a new text message. She looked at her phone and saw Nick had texted her.

'I better be seeing that beautiful face of yours Friday night :)'

Miley smiled down at her phone for a moment before responding.

'I wouldn't miss it for anything.'

A minute later phone beeped again. Miley looked down at it.

'Good! I can't wait to see you again.'

Miley smiled again. "He's absolutely adorable," Miley thought to herself.

':). Good night, Nick.'

'Good night. Sweet dreams.'

Miley put her phone dad and crawled into bed. That night, she did indeed have sweet dreams.

Miley awoke early the next morning to call Lily and herself in sick from work. She knew Lily would not make it in to work seeing as she had a broken heart and Miley wanted to stay home and cheer her up. After all, that was what best friends were for; to pick up the pieces when everything was falling apart.

Miley went down into the kitchen and began making chocolate chip pancakes; Lily's favorite breakfast food. Once she was done, she spread some maple syrup across the top, poured a glass of orange juice and carried a tray of food down the hall to Lily's room.

She knocked on the door and when she got no response, she walked in. Lily was laying in bed staring straight up at the ceiling.

"'Morning, Lily!" Miley said cheerfully, as she walked into the bedroom. Miley carefully set the tray of food down on Lily's night stand before walking over to the windows. She opened the curtains, allowing a great deal of sunshine to pour into the bedroom.

"Hi," Lily said, sadness evident in her tone.

"I brought you some chocolate-chip pancakes. I know they're your favorite," Miley said, trying to get Lily to cheer up a bit.

"Thanks," Lily said with no more happiness in her voice and made no attempt to move towards the tray of food sitting beside her.

"C'mon, Lily, cheer up! I know he meant a lot to you, but he's still one guy and there's about a million and one more guys out there for you," Miley said truthfully. She sat down on the edge of Lily's bed.

"I thought I was going to marry him, Miles," Lily said sadly. She still continued to stare straight up at the white ceiling.

"I know, Lils. I'm sorry. You didn't deserve him cheating on you at all. But, think of it this way, maybe it's better he cheated on you now than if you got married to him someday and realized he was a total ass," Miley said this trying to put an optimistic spin on a totally terrible situation.

"You know what the worst part is? I want to hate him so badly, but I just can't. I'm so in love with him even though he broke my heart into a billion little pieces and didn't even seem to care," Lily said, tearing up. Miley leaned over and gave her a hug.

"You'll get over him, I promise. I am personally going to help you find a new guy," Miley said determined to do just that.

"I don't want a new guy. I just want to get back the last six years of my life I wasted on a jackass," Lily said miserably. Her lip quivered as she spoke.

"Lils, as much as you want to, you can't erase the past. All you can do is change the present. And you're continuing to waste time on him by laying here all depressed and angry. C'mon let's go shopping. I know it will cheer you up," Miley said, knowing it would do Lily good to get up and out of the house.

"I'm too upset to function properly. Never mind go shopping."

Miley sighed. She felt so bad for Lily. She knew how much Oliver had meant to her. Miley included had thought the two of them were soul mates. Miley was already planning on calling him and giving him an earful about breaking Lily's heart.

"He's not worth it, Lily. I know he seemed like the perfect guy but obviously he wasn't. You don't deserve any guy who isn't faithful to you 100%."

"I just want to punch him square in the nose for doing this to me," Lily said bitterly.

"Believe me, so do I, Lily," Miley said honestly.

"It's just, Oliver was my best friend and boyfriend for six years, and now it's like I'm left with nothing," Lily said sadly, the bitterness gone from her voice.

"You've got me, Lily. And I'm not going anywhere, ever. You're practically my sister," Miley added as she gave her best friend another hug.

"I know, Miles. Thank you for dealing with my messed up life," Lily said not joking one bit.

"It's my pleasure, Lily. Now eat up!" Miley replied cheerfully, picking up the breakfast tray and sitting it in Lily's lap.

**A/N**

Hey guys! I know it's been a couple weeks since I've update & I'm sorry about that. But, this chapter is the longest one yet :)

I know this chapter doesn't have too much Niley in it, but the next one will. I promise. Lots of fluff to come!

I hate to sound bratty, but I was a little bit disappointed that I only got 3 reviews on the last chapter. Especially because the number of views on the story skyrocketed. I'd really appreciate it if more people would give me feedback :) It will definitely lead to more chapters coming out faster!

Merry Christmas to all of those who celebrate! And I hope you all have a fantastic 2013, if I don't update before then. I will try my best, though, because I don't have school this week.

~Luce


	6. Chapter 6

Friday night, Miley and Lily were seated in the bleachers at Malibu High School. Miley couldn't stop tapping her foot anxiously as she waited for half time to end. The score was tied 7-7 and both teams had played a solid first half and Miley could tell it was going to be a tight game. Besides Miley, sat an upset and irritable Lily.

"I want to go home," Lily said miserably, staring straight out into the distance. She had been focused on the horizon the entire game so far, not paying an ounce of attention to what was going on down on the field.

"C'mon , Lily! It's a good game! You don't want to miss the second half!" Miley said eagerly. This was one of the first football games Miley had truly gotten into. Back when Jackson played, Miley paid attention to the game and rooted for him but now she felt as though she were apart of the game. She wanted more than anything for Nick and his Seagulls to win.

"I didn't want to come in the first place," Lily said, not even turning to look in Miley's direction.

"I know," Miley said, and she did. She had practically dragged Lily out of the apartment telling her fresh air would do her some good.

"Then, let's leave."

"Lils, you need to get over Oliver. You need to start moving on with your life. You can't just sit in the apartment all cooped up in blankets for the rest of your life. There's an entire world out there," Miley said trying to get Lily to understand why she dragged her to the game.

"Whatever," Lily said grumpily.

Just then, the band began to play, signaling that half time was coming to an end. Miley watched the Seagulls run back onto the field. The energy they had was palpable, even in the bleachers.

Miley spotted Nick walking behind the team with the other coach and smiled to herself. She saw Nick scan the crowd trying to find her so she waved in his direction. Unfortunately, Nick did not catch her eye.

Nick finished the walk to the sideline and Miley saw him giving his boys a pep talk. She could see the way the boys respected him by how they held on to every one of his wordsFriday night, Miley and Lily were seated in the bleachers at Malibu High School. Miley couldn't stop tapping her foot anxiously as she waited for half time to end. The score was tied 7-7 and both teams had played a solid first half and Miley could tell it was going to be a tight game. Besides Miley, sat an upset and irritable Lily.

"I want to go home," Lily said miserably, staring straight out into the distance. She had been focused on the horizon the entire game so far, not paying an ounce of attention to what was going on down on the field.

"C'mon , Lily! It's a good game! You don't want to miss the second half!" Miley said eagerly. This was one of the first football games Miley had truly gotten into. Back when Jackson played, Miley paid attention to the game and rooted for him but now she felt as though she were apart of the game. She wanted more than anything for Nick and his Seagulls to win.

"I didn't want to come in the first place," Lily said, not even turning to look in Miley's direction.

"I know," Miley said, and she did. She had practically dragged Lily out of the apartment telling her fresh air would do her some good.

"Then, let's leave."

"Lils, you need to get over Oliver. You need to start moving on with your life. You can't just sit in the apartment all cooped up in blankets for the rest of your life. There's an entire world out there," Miley said trying to get Lily to understand why she dragged her to the game.

"Whatever," Lily said grumpily.

Just then, the band began to play, signaling that half time was coming to an end. Miley watched the Seagulls run back onto the field. The energy they had was palpable, even in the bleachers.

Miley spotted Nick walking behind the team with the other coach and smiled to herself. She saw Nick scan the crowd trying to find her so she waved in his direction. Unfortunately, Nick did not catch her eye.

Nick finished the walk to the sideline and Miley saw him giving his boys a pep talk. She could see the way the boys respected him by how they held on to every one of his words.

Miley excitedly clapped her hands together when the buzzer rang, indicating the third quarter was about to start.

"Yay! I only have to suffer through two more quarters and then I'm out of here," Lily said sarcastically, bitterness evident in her tone.

Miley ignored her best friend's comment. Tonight, Miley wanted to enjoy herself and she couldn't do that if she let Lily's mood bring her down.

The third quarter began and ended, neither team scoring. Miley sat at the edge of her seat, staring intently at the boys running around on the green turf. Every once in a while, she would focus her eyes on the sidelines and look at Nick.

Miley could tell Nick's passion for the game just by watching him. He, himself, was focused completely on the game. She watched as he patted the backs of players who had done good and yelled at the players who messed up. Miley loved the way Nick would pump his fists and jump up and down when his team made a good play.

The fourth quarter started, the Spartans with the ball. They ran the ball down the field and were stopped by the Seagulls at their 20-yard line. Miley anxiously watched to see what would happen.

Unfortunately, for Nick, the Spartans broke through the Seagulls's defense and scored. Miley watched as Nick scratched the back of his neck nervously. The Spartans went for the extra point and ever so slightly, missed the field goal. The score was now 13-7, the Seagulls trailing.

Miley watched intently as the Spartans kicked off. The Seagulls received the ball and their running back began running towards their end zone. Miley got to her feet and began to cheer as he darted around the opposing team's defense and ran right into the end zone. Nick jumped up and down like a little boy and Miley cheered loudly. The game was now tied. If the extra point was good, the Seagulls would take the lead.

The entire bleachers held their breath as the punter kicked the ball. Everyone immediately began screaming at the top of their lungs when they realized the field goal was good. The Seagulls had taken the lead, the score 14-13.

Neither team scored during the remainder of the game, making that the final score. Miley laughed when she saw the look on Nick's face when the final buzzer rang. It was a look of pure ecstasy. Miley couldn't help but be happy for him. She was beginning to understand how much work he put into his team and was glad it was paying off.

~~~~~~~

A little later, Miley and Lily stood outside the locker room, waiting for Nick to exit. They watched as one by one, various players exited the locker room.

"Oh my God. He is taking forever. I just want to go home," Lily said, misery evident in her tone.

"It'll just be another few minutes," Miley said, trying to be patient with her best friend. In all honesty, Miley was starting to get annoyed with Lily's attitude. Miley understood Lily was upset about her break up with Oliver. Miley did not blame her one bit for being upset. However, Miley was just trying to help and her Lily was acting like a total bitch in return.

"Hey, ladies," Nick said smoothly, walking out of the locker room. His face was in an enormous grin. Miley could see the way his eyes twinkled in happiness from winning that big game.

Miley walked over to him and gave him a big hug.

"Hey, yourself," Miley said smirking as she pulled away from the hug and then added, "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," He said grabbing hold of her hand and placing it in his. "I told you that you were my good luck charm," He added with a wink.

"I guess so," Miley said blushing a bit.

Realizing he had been rude, Nick turned towards Lily.

"Hey, Lily. How's it going?" He asked trying to be friendly.

"Just fantastic!" Lily yelled sarcastically at him.

Nick turned towards Miley as if to ask her what was going on silently.

"She just broke up with her boyfriend of six years," Miley whispered to him.

"Ohhhh," Nick said, understanding. "I'm sorry. Break ups suck," He added as gently as possible.

"Whatever!" Lily said, growing annoyed.

"Ok... Do you two lovely ladies want to go get some pizza or something?" Nick asked grinning.

"No," Lily said flatly with zero emotion.

"Lily, c'mon. It'll be fun," Miley said trying to get her to go.

"No," Lily repeated this time with a bit more force.

"You sure?" Nick asked, not wanting to be rude. Secretly, he was hoping that she would stick to her decision. He wanted Miley all to himself.

"Positive," Lily said just as flatly.

"Ok, then I'll follow you girls to your apartment, Miley can drop you off, and then me and Miley can head out," Nick said.

"Sounds perfect," Miley said, unable to wipe the grin from her face.

~~~~~~~

25 minutes later and Miley was in Nick's car. The twosome had just dropped Lily off the apartment.

"Sorry, about Lily. She just broke up with a guy she's been seeing for the last six years. They had been dating since her sophomore year of high school," Miley said, turning to face Nick. He glanced over at her and then looked back out at the road before replying.

"It's not a problem. We've all been through our share of rough break-ups," Nick said shrugging.

"Who did you date that you had a rough break-up with?" Miley asked curiously.

"Don't you think it's a little early to be talking about exes?" Nick asked, looking out the windshield above the steering wheel.

Nick's response only made Miley more curious about his past. The way he had responded made it seem like he was hiding something. However, Miley did not know him well enough yet to push the subject.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Miley said.

A few moments later, Nick pulled into the parking lot of Pete's Pizza. He quickly walked over to Miley's side of the car and opened her door.

"You never fail to be a gentlemen, do you?" Miley asked, smiling as she took the hand he offered to her.

"My mother raised me to always be a gentlemen," Nick said, closing the passenger door, not letting go of Miley's hand.

"She did a good job," Miley said, as Nick, once again, opened the door for her when they reached the entrance to the restaurant.

The couple was seated in a booth by the window, looking put at the small city of Malibu.

"Please tell me your preferences of pizza are less bland than those of your coffee," Nick teased, referring to how she only drank her coffee black.

"You're in luck. I eat just about anything on my pizza," Miley said grinning. She adored the way he was always so playful with her.

After a few moments of discussion, the twosome decided on a cheese pizza with black olives and pepperoni. They put their order in and then, sat facing each other.

"I think your football game was the first ball game I truly enjoyed," Miley said honestly.

"Really?" Nick asked, a bit surprised. When most girls came to watch him coach, they were bored out of their mind before the first quarter was over.

"Yeah. I was really getting into it. I think Lily told me to 'shut up' a good 20 times because I was cheering so loudly," Miley said, giggling a bit.

Nick chuckled from across the table.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have an adorable laugh?" Nick asked innocently and Miley blushed.

"Nope," Miley said a sparkle in her eye. She thought it was cute the way he complimented her every chance he got.

"Well, you do," Nick said truthfully.

"Thank you," Miley replied.

Their pizza then arrived at their table and the waitress set it down in between them.

Each grabbed a slice and began to dig in, enjoying one another's company.

~~~~~~

**A/N**

I am so sorry about the wait for this chapter and the fact it's pretty short. It's not my best work at all but I wanted to get something out for you guys! But, thank you so much for all 9 reviews on the last chapter! I love reading each and every one of them! They give me inspiration.

I had major case of writer's block and then I wrote the entire chapter out and it didn't save right. But, here it is!

I hope you all have a fantastic 2013! & I will update definitely before February begins!

Please review!

~Luce


	7. Chapter 7

"So, when do I get to meet her?" Mallory asked curiously.

"Not for a while. We've been on three dates, Mallory," Nick stated simply.

"So what? If you like her, you like her. Simple as that. I want to meet her!" Mallory said, excitement in her voice.

Mallory was sixteen years old, a junior in high school. Nick loved his sister, he really did; but he couldn't help but think she was a little over the top sometimes.

"Mallory, it simply is not that simple. I have to make sure things are really serious between us before I introduce her to our family," Nick stated. He had no idea why he was explaining himself to his little sister.

"But, you obviously really like her! You haven't had a serious girlfriend in forever!" Mallory explained, truthfully. Nick could picture her laying on her back on her bed, staring at the ceiling, a position she was often in when she was talking on the phone.

"Yes, but I want to make sure she really likes me before I take that step," Nick stated, growing slightly frustrated with this interrogation.

"Oh, Nicholas, you've just got so much to learn about women," Mallory stated as if she were Nick's older sister, instead of the sixteen-year-old she was.

"Like what?" Nick asked.

"First off, a girl is always eager to meet a guy's family. Always. It makes her feel like he accepts her and cares about her enough to show her off to the people closest to him," Mallory states.

"You know, Mal, you really haven't had all that much experience with guys to be giving me advice," Nick stated honestly. Mallory had only ever had one boyfriend, which was a completely unserious relationship.

"That may be true but I've read enough glamour magazines to be able to tell you anything you need to know about dating. I'm practically an expert," Mallory said and Nick chuckled.

"I should've known," He said thoughtfully, smirking.

"So, can I meet her?" Mallory asked anxiously.

"Nope," Nick said quickly and then added, "Give it a week or so and you can be the first family member she meets."

"Yayyyy!" Mallory explained and squealed like a stereotypical teenage girl. Nick plugged his ears on the other side of the line.

"I'm holding you to it. Exactly one week from now I am expecting to meet her," Mallory said seriously.

"We'll see about that, Mal. I have to go now, I'll talk to you later," Nick said.

"Bye, Nicholas!" Mallory said happily. She always called him Nicholas when she wanted to annoy him. Nick shook his head and grinned. As crazy as she drove him sometimes, she did know how to make him smile.

"Bye, Mal," Nick said, hitting the 'end' button on his phone.

Nick glanced at his watch. He had been on the phone longer than expected. Miley was coming over for homemade dinner at 6 and it was already 2. He still had a lot to do.

Nick sprang into action and immediately began cleaning. He dusted his coffee table and shelves. He vacuumed the spotless carpet. Then, he went into the kitchen and began preparing dinner.

After much thought, he had decided to make lasagna. Nick knew he could make it well and also knew that just about everyone ate it.

Even though they had now been on a solid, couple of dates, Nick couldn't help but feel nervous about his dates with her. He wanted everything to be perfect.

As 5:00 rolled around, Nick went upstairs and got changed. He decided on a pair of khakis and a button-down lilac shirt. The reason he decided on that particular shirt was because Mallory had once told him it brought out his eye color. Nick, not paying attention to such things, didn't know if it was true but he knew Mallory read as many glamour magazines as there were. He figured that counted for for something.

Nick went back down to the kitchen. He wiped the counters clean where he had cooked and carefully set the table, making sure the silverware was on its appropriate side. Just as he set a single rose in a vase in the middle of the table, the doorbell rang.

Nick smiled as he opened the door to Miley. She wore a casual, lace dress and a pair of cowboy boots. Her hair was down in loose waves that cascaded down her back.

"You look stunning," Nick said honestly as he gestured for her to come into his home.

"Thank you," Miley said, blushing ever so slightly. As the days went by, she was becoming less and less shy about Nick's compliments.

Out of no where, Nick's golden retriever bounded down the stairs and ran up to Miley. He sat back on his hind legs and looked up at Miley, howling. Miley giggled and petted his head.

"He's adorable. What's his name?" Miley asked as she bent down to scratch his ears.

"Champ," Nick said.

"Aww, he's just too cute," Miley said as she continued to pet him. Champ walked in circles around her.

"Sometimes," Nick said jokingly.

"Nick! You're so mean!" Said, mocking anger and then added, "I just want to cuddle with him forever."

"You know, I'm beginning to think my dog more than me and you've known him for about five minutes," Nick joked as he watched Miley continue to pet Champ. He couldn't help find it extremely attractive the way Champ and her got along so well.

"Aww, I'm sorry," Miley said, walking over to him. "Would a kiss make you feel better?"

"Maybe, a little," Nick said, pulling her in close to him.

Miley leaned in and kissed him passionately. He quickly snaked his arms around her back, pulling her even closer.

A few seconds later, Champ began barking. Miley pulled away laugh and laughed.

"I think you've got some competition, Nick. He wants me to," Miley said, joking.

"Yeah, well, I think I might just win this one," Nick said, and then added to Champ,"Back of boy. She's mine."

Elvis barked up at him, making Miley giggle even more.

"Boys, don't fight! There's enough of me to go around!" Miley said.

Nick smiled at her. There was something that about the way that she was always so happy and smiley. It was intoxicating.

"Mmm, something smells delicious," Miley said as she breathed in.

"That would be my cooking," Nick said poudly.

"Wait, you're actually cooking? When guys invite me over for dinner that's usually code word for take out food," Miley said, impressed with Nick.

"Well, I guess I'm not like most of the guys you've dated," Nick said smirking.

"Nope. You're much better," Miley said, pecking him on the lips.

"Good to know," Nick said grinning.

"So, what are you making?" Miley asked as she took a seat on the sofa. Nick sat down beside her.

"A little lasagna, garlic bread, and salad," Nick said.

Miley nodded, "Well, I'm impressed."

"You should be."

Miley smiled and took a moment to look around his living room. His house was much nicer than her tiny, little apartment. The living room she currently sat in had a real, nice "homey" feel to it and she loved it.

"Do you have any single friends?" Miley blurted out of the blue.

"Ummm..," Nick said kinda hurt, "I kinda thought there was something going on between you and me that was more than friends. I kinda thought we were exclusive but it's not like I ever really asked you. I'm sorry if I interpreted this whole thing wrong."

"No, no, no! Not for me! For Lily! I totally consider there being something between the two of us," Miley said trying to reassure him. She hadn't realized how awkward the question she posed was.

Nick looked very relieved at her response and laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I've got some single friends."

"Perfect. Any of them looking for an extremely peppy, blonde-haired girl who's currently love sick? Cause I can't deal with her depressed mood much longer," Miley said.

"She's still that upset?" Nick asked raising his eyebrows.

"Yep, she's my best friend and I love her but I can't take it much longer. She needs to move on with her life! She's sat in her room everyday for the past two weeks!" Miley exclaimed.

"Well, the guy I coach with his single and he's a pretty good guy. Maybe him?" Nick asked.

"Is he cute?"

"Um, I don't really rate my friends but he's not ugly," Nick said uncomfortably.

"That'll do. When is he free?" Miley asked anxiously.

Nick laughed, "Slow down! Don't you think we should maybe let them get to know one another before we go throwing them on a date."

"Fine, we'll double date first. That way there's no pressure," Miley said.

"Good idea," Nick replied.

"So Saturday?" Miley asked eagerly.

"I think I can arrange something," Nick said, wanting to help her out. He also didn't mind an excuse to see her.

"You're the best!" Miley said, cuddling up to him. He smoothly put his arm around, forcing her body closer to his. In return, she leaned her head into his muscular shoulder.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company. Miley turned her head and looked up at him. He grinned down at her.

All of a sudden, Nick sat straight up, "SHIT!"

Nick raced into the kitchen only to see a cloud of smoke over the oven.

"Shit, shit, shit!" He said as he opened the oven and gray smoke poured out, filling the kitchen.

Nick grabbed a towel and began moving it through the air, trying to move some of the smoke so he could get the lasagna out of the oven.

Eventually, he grabbed it and put it on the counter. The once beautiful lasagna, was not completely black. He heard Miley enter the room giggling.

"I'm so sorry. I completely forgot about it," Nick said looking over at her apologetically.

"I'm just glad you didn't burn the house down," Miley joked.

"I really am a good cook. You just got me a little distracted," Nick flirted.

"Did I?" Miley asked innocently.

"Just a little bit," Nick said winking at her.

Miley grinned. She loved the way he always made her feel so special.

"Well, unfortunately, I think I'm gonna have to be like every other guy you've ever dated. I'm gonna have to resort to take-out but I will cook for you again in the near future," Nick said grinning.

"Hopefully, you won't forget about it next time," Miley said giggling.

"So, what do you feel like?" Nick asked her.

"It doesn't really matter. Anything will do," Miley replied politely.

"Pick," Nick said looking at her.

"Really, anything is fine."

"Pick," Nick repeated.

"I really don't care," Miley stated.

"Miss Miley, don't make this difficult," Nick said.

"Fineeeeeeeeeeee. Let's get Chinese," Miley said.

"Perfect," Nick said picking up his phone and placing an order.

"It should be here in about half an hour," Nick told her after hanging up his phone.

Miley nodded and the two of them returned to the living room.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Nick asked after a moment of silence.

"That would be nice," Miley replied.

"Ok. How about we pick one out and we can watch it after we eat?" Nick asked, making sure that was ok with her.

"Sounds great!" Miley responded truthfully. Cuddling with Nick while they watched a movie sounded like perfection to her.

Nick smiled at her.

"What should we watch?" Nick asked.

"I like sappy-girly love stories but you probably don't want to watch those, so whatever you want," Miley replied.

"I normally don't watch them, but I'd watch one for you," Nick winked at her.

"Really? You don't strike me as the type, Mr. Grey," Miley said thoughtfully.

"I guess I'm just full of surprises, then."

"What else are you hiding from me?" Miley asked teasingly.

Nick thought for a moment.

"I have 11 toes," Nick said with a straight face.

"No way!" Miley said, not sure if he was being serious or not.

"I also have three legs," Nick said laughing at the fact she believed him so easily.

"Don't laugh at me!" Miley said, hitting him in his abs.

"I'm s-sorry," Nick said, continuing to laugh hysterically.

"You're mean!" Miley joked.

"Really? Do mean people do this?" He asked as he firmly pressed his lips against hers and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Miley pulled away a moment later and grinning, said," I suppose not."

Nick stuck his tongue at her, like a six-year old kid. Miley giggled.

"So, which awful love movie are you gonna make me watch?" Nick asked grinning.

"The Notebook," Miley answered. The Notebook was her favorite movie.

Nick ordered the movie on the television and then hit pause, knowing they weren't gonna watch it until after they ate.

"Is that really what girls do at sleepovers? Watch lovey-dovey movies and talk about guys and paint their nails?" Nick asked curiously.

"Pretty much," Miley said shrugging.

"Interesting," Nick said and Miley giggled.

The rest of the night was spent eating Chinese food and watching The Notebook. It wasn't the night Miley had expected but there was nothing she would've enjoyed more.

~~~~~~~

Hey guys!

I'm two days late with this update, but these past few weeks have been crazy! I had exams and I've been focusing on that.

This chapter isn't my favorite, but the next one will definitely be better.

Hope you guys enjoy! Please review, I love reading every single one of them. They make me happy (:

~Luce


	8. Chapter 8

"Lily, it's really not that big of a deal. It's just going to be the four us going bowling," Miley stated growing annoyed.

After much debate, Nick and Miley had decided that bowling would be a perfect low-key, zero-pressure date for Lily and Cody. If things didn't work out between them, it wouldn't be like they were stuck across a table from each other for the whole night.

"But, it is! Did you even stop to think of my feelings?" Lily whined like a little girl.

Of course, Miley had thought of her best friend's feelings. She knew it was time that Lily move on. Even if her and Cody didn't date, Lily still needed to get out of the house and actually hang out with people rather than stay cooped up in the small apartment all day.

"Lily, this will be good for you. This isn't intended to be romantic at all. Cody knows that too. We just wanted you to go bowling with us and didn't want you to feel like a third-wheel so we invited Cody along so you'd have someone to talk to," Miley half-lied.

"BUT WHAT ABOUT OLIVER?" Lily screamed loudly, even though Miley was less than a yard away. Miley put her hands over her ears.

"Listen, I know you're upset about Oliver. What he did to you sucked but you need to get on with your life. Sitting here in this apartment is simply not an option. Oliver is not the only person in the world," Miley stated truthfully. She was growing more and more annoyed by Lily's attitude each day. In all honesty, Miley was just trying to help.

"Whatever. I'm not going," Lily stated like a five-year-old being told to go to bed. Miley rolled her eyes.

"You know what? Then don't! I'll just go with the two of them. I'm trying to help you here, Lily. You're my best friend and it looks like you need a little cheering up. But, if you don't want my help then I will just go by myself," Miley stated, getting up from Lily's dark bedroom and heading into the hallway.  
Lily remained cocooned in a mass of blankets and sheets, not even her head peaking out.

Miley looked at her watch, realizing she had spent more time arguing than she had thought. She only had two hours until she had to be at the bowling alley and she had no idea what to wear.

After taking a quick shower and blow-drying her hair, Miley walked into her bedroom in search of something to wear. She decided on a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans and a long-sleeve black, oversized sweater and a red scarf. Lily usually did her hair when she went and, seeing as that really wasn't an option right now, Miley left it in her natural waves. Deciding it would get in the way while bowling, she added a clip in the back so her hair was now half up, half down.

Finally, she added a layer of mascara and a bit of smoky eyeshadow. She hated overdoing her make up, so she decided to leave it at that.

As she finished up, Miley began to feel really bad for Cody who was planning on going on a double date and now, was going to find out he was just third-wheeling. After much thought, she called another one of her friends, Mitchie

"Miley?" Mitchie answered.

"Hey girl! Are you doing anything tonight?" Miley asked, crossing her fingers that she was not.

"Not really. Why?" Mitchie asked, curious.

"I'm going on a double date in an hour and I need a friend to bring along for this guy. You in? We're just going bowling," Miley explained.

"Totally!" Mitchie exclaimed and then got the information from Miley as to where she should meet them.

Miley hung up, feeling satisfied. Mitchie wasn't one of her closest friends but she was a very nice person and Miley knew she would have fun with her tonight.

A little while later, Miley grabbed her purse and headed out the door, not saying anything to Lily. Nick and Cody were planning on meeting Lily and Miley at the duck-pin lanes toward the center of town.

Miley arrived there a few moments and stepped out of her car. She scanned the cars around her and did not see Mitchie's car yet. Miley braced herself because she knew it was going to be slightly awkward walking in there without her roommate companioning her.

Miley walked in and immediately spotted Nick and nice-looking, blonde haired guy beside him. Nick waved to her and his companion looked up a little confused that there wasn't a lady for him beside Miley.

"Hey," Miley said smiling when she reached them.

"Hey yourself," Nick said, standing up and hugging her. He kissed her gently on the cheek before pulling away.

"I'm Miley," Miley said shyly to the man she assumed to be Cody.

"Cody," He said sticking out his hand. Miley shook it.

The three of them stood there in awkward silence for a few moments, neither man knowing how to ask why Miley was alone.

"Where's Lily?" Nick finally asked.

"Well, she was feeling a little bit under the weather," Miley lied and then quickly added, "But, my friend Mitchie will be here in a few minutes."

"Alright," Cody said, nodding. He really didn't care. After all, it was a blind date and he did not know either girl anyways.

"We rented this lane, so I guess we can just sit here and wait," Nick said. Miley nodded and sat down at the round booth directly across from the lane.

A few minutes passed in silence.

"So, you coach with Nick?" Miley asked Cody, trying to make small talk.

"Yep," Cody replied cooly.

Miley wasn't really sure why the situation seemed as awkward as it was. Perhaps, it was because she didn't know Cody at all and Cody was expecting her to bring him a date.

"I'm sorry. Mitchie is always running late," Miley said, adding, "She should be here in a few minutes."

"It's fine," Cody said without much emotion.

Miley could sense he felt uncomfortable. She silently cursed Mitchie for being late.

"So, we thought that we'd get play a little, and maybe get a little pizza after?" Nick said, checking with Miley that it was ok.

"Sounds great," Miley replied, looking at the entrance for hoping to see Mitchie's head of dark, brown hair coming through. No such luck.

"How do you know Mitchie?" Nick asked curiously.

"I've known her forever. We actually met in preschool. Then, we went to different school districts but we managed to hang out from time to time. My dad became friends with her parents and you know, we'd get together for dinner once in a while," Miley explained.

"That's great," Nick said sincerely and Cody nodded.

"Yeah, she's a nice girl," Miley said to Cody and he half-smiled at her.

"Oh, my, god! I am so sorry I'm late!" A female voice said from behind Miley and she turned to see Mitchie.

"Mitchie!" Miley said hugging her. The two of them hadn't hung out recently.

"This is my boy-.. date, Nick. And, this, is your date, Cody," Miley said gesturing to each man.

Mitchie smiled at them, "I'm Mitchie."

A few minutes later and the gang was tying up their bowling shoes. Cody had loosened up, now that he actually had a date.

"I hope you guys are ready to lose," Nick joked.

"Are we putting up the bumpers?" Miley asked grinning.

"Absolutely not," Nick replied smiling.

"Then, you're gonna win. Unless, you're really, really, really bad," Miley said giggling.

"Don't worry, Miley. I'll kick his ass for you," Cody said boldly.

"Oh, yeah? You're on!" Nick said back.

"We'll play teams. Losers pay for pizza. Me and Mitchie, against you and Miley," Cody replied.

"Deal," Nick said shaking his hand.

Miley and Mitchie made eye contact and both knew exactly what the other was thinking. They giggled silently because both were awful at bowling.

Miley had never seen this competitive side to Nick before but she liked it. She could now see why he enjoyed coaching so much.

"Nick, just letting you know, I'm terrible at bowling," Miley whispered to him and he smirked at her.

"Don't worry I'm really good," He said, winking at her. Nick said it in a way that didn't make him seem cocky at all.

Miley giggled because Nick had no idea just how terrible she was. More than half the balls she rolled were bound to end up in the gutter.

Mitchie went first and knocked down two pins. Miley relaxed a little, knowing the real competition would be between Cody and Nick since both herself and Mitchie were awful.

Miley went and bowled. The first two balls went straight down the gutter. The final knocked over a single pin at the edge of the lane.

Nick high-fived her as she walked back.

"Not bad," Nick said reassuring her that she didn't have to worry about not being very good. Miley smiled at him and plopped down on his lap.

"Let's be realistic, I suck!" Miley said smirking. When she knew she wasn't good at something, she was never afraid to admit it.

"You don't suck. Everyone's bound to have one bad frame," Nick said.

"Let's just say that's as good as I get," Miley said, grinning.

"And I'm perfectly ok with that," Nick said and he kissed Miley on the lips.

"Yo! Lover boy! It's your turn!" Cody said, smirking at him. Nick rolled his eyes at his friend. He gently let Miley off his lap and onto the bit of booth beside him before going up and getting a bowling ball.

Nick expertly rolled the ball down the center of the lane, getting a strike. Miley clapped from the bench and Nick took a little bow to rub it in Cody's face.

"It's on, Gray!" Cody said as Mitchie got up to bowl.

"It's been on, bud," Nick replied.

Miley and Mitchie giggled and raised their eyebrows at each other.

The game continued on. Nick and Cody continued bowling high numbers and Mitchie and Miley continued bowling gutter balls. Nick and Cody play-trash talked through out the entire game.

Nick and Miley ended up winning the game when Miley miraculously scored a 7 and Nick bowled a 9.

"You suck, man," Nick said to Cody jokingly.

"You two got lucky," Cody replied.

"Yeah, right," Nick said sarcastically.

"Well, I'm ready for my pizza," Miley said looking at Cody. Nick laughed.

"That's my girl," Nick grinned at Miley. She smiled at being called 'his' girl. She liked the sound of that.

"Just don't order anything crazy," Cody said as they exited the bowling alley and walked next door to a small pizza parlor.

The foursome sat down in a booth towards the back of the restaurant. Miley and Mitchie sat besides each other. Nick and Cody sat across from them.

"Hmm... Well, since Cody is paying, what's the most expensive thing on the menu?" Nick joked, glancing over the menu in front of him.

"Very funny," Cody responded, sarcastically.

Miley giggled. She loved the way Nick and Cody were able to tease each other like that. It reminded her of her own relationship with Lily growing up. Miley sighed sadly, realizing her friendship with Lily was no longer the way it had once been.

Nick must have noticed the look on her face because he asked, "You ok?"

Miley forced a smile and said, "Yeah."

Nick reached his hand across the table and placed it on top of hers.

"You sure?" He asked, concerned.

"Positive," Miley responded, smiling for real this time because she could tell Nick truly cared about her.

Nick patted her hand a little bit before pulling it back and picking up the menu.

After much discussion, the foursome decided on two large pizzas: one cheese and one meatball.

While they awaited their food to come, Cody broke the silence.

"Where do you work, Mitchie?" He asked curiously.

"I'm a teacher. I teach fourth grade."

"No way! Me too! Except I teach high school gym!"

Miley could tell just from looking at the two of them that there was definitely some chemistry there. She couldn't help but be glad that she had ended up inviting Mitchie after Lily had refuses to come.

Miley watched Mitchie and Cody talk for a few minutes, discussing work. Miley found it so cute how the two of them got along so well on just their first date.

"So, Lily's sick?" Nick asked, looking at Miley.

"Not really. She's just being a bitch. She refused to come," Miley replied.

"Oh," Nick said and then sensing the conversation with Lily had upset her, added, "She'll come around. She just needs time."

"I hope," Miley replied.

"She will," Nick repeated, reassuringly.

"She's driving me nuts," Miley said.

Just then, the pizza was delivered to the table.

"Yum!" Mitchie explained and Cody grinned at her.

The foursome dug into the pizza hungrily. When the waiter brought over the bill, Cody quickly swept it up, placed his debit card in it, and handed it back to the waitress.

"Here, I'll give you some money. We took part in the bet," Mitchie said, digging around in her purse for her wallet.

"No, no. I want to pay for you," Cody said smiling.

"Aw, thank you," Mitchie replied. Just like almost every other girl, Mitchie enjoyed being spoiled by men.

"My pleasure," Cody replied, grinning. He appreciated the way she let him pay for her instead of trying to argue with him as many girls would.

A few moments later and the foursome of friends was headed back to their cars.

"Nice meeting you," Miley told Cody and then turned to Nick. She gave him a sweet kiss and said, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ms. Miley. I'll call you tomorrow," Nick said cheerfully.

"I'll be waiting," Miley flirted back at him.

Besides them, Cody was writing down Mitchie's number on his iPhone and Miley squealed internally. She was happy for Mitchie. Cody really seemed to be a nice guy.

"Goodnight," Mitchie called to Cody as himself and Nick retreated towards the car they came in.

"Wanna sleepover? Like old times?" Mitchie asked Miley.

Miley immediately agreed. She could use a girls night. Miley hadn't done much bonding with a female friend ever since Lily broke up with Oliver.

"Definitely. We have lots to discuss," Miley said, raising her eyebrows in Cody's direction.

Mitchie blushed. "Awesome, just follow my car back to my apartment," Mitchie said and Miley got into her car to follow her.

Once she got to Mitchie's apartment, Miley pulled out her iPhone and texted Lily saying she wouldn't be home tonight. She didn't feel the need to explain herself, though, seeing as Lily probably wouldn't care.

Miley got out of her car and into Mitchie's apartment. It was a chic little apartment that Mitchie had decorated herself. There was a modern feel to it.

"So, I'm thinking ice-cream sundaes?" Mitchie asked, already pulling open the freezer, knowing what Miley's answer would be.

"Of course!" Miley said. She walked over to the cupboard and pulled out two bowls.

Mitchie walked around the kitchen, gathering various toppings: sprinkles, m&ms, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and cherries. Miley got to work scooping the ice-cream and Mitchie began dumping mass amounts of toppings on top.

"This is heavenly," Miley said a few moments later as they sat on the couch, splurging on ice-cream in the living room.

"Tell me about it," Mitchie said as she brought another spoonful to her lips.

"Sooo, you and Cody, huh?" Miley said indicating that something was going on between the two of them.

"I think there is definitely something going on between us but what exactly is going on between you and Nick? Have you seen the way he looks at you?" Mitchie said.

"We're just dating, nothing official yet," Miley replied, licking chocolate sauce off her bottom lip.

"Well, why the hell not?" Mitchie asked, appalled that Miley was not yet Nick's girlfriend.

"He hasn't asked me yet!" Miley explained defensively.

"Well, he's just dumb then. I mean, c'mon, what's he waiting for?" Mitchie asked.

"I don't know.. Maybe he's not ready for a real relationship?" Miley asked, simply guessing. She really didn't know why Nick hadn't asked her to be his girlfriend yet.

"Definitely not it. He treats you like your his queen. He's probably just waiting for the right moment," Mitchie said matter-of-factly.

"I hope so. I really like him," Miley replied.

"I can tell.. Do you think Cody likes me?" Mitchie asked cutiously.

"Um, of course!" Miley said shocked that Mitchie hadn't noticed that. Then again, sometimes it could be hard to pick up on these types of things when the girl was yourself.

The two girls stayed up all night talking, gossiping, and just enjoying one another's company. It had been a while since Miley had felt that she had a best friend on her side and she couldn't have felt happier.

**Hey, hey, hey!**

**Hope you guys are enjoying this story! I'm trying to update as quick as possible for you :) **

**Thank you for all the reviews, I love them. I've been sick all week so that's why this one came out so quick. If I'm not feeling better soon, there'll probably be another one up rather soon!**

**If I don't update before then, I hope you all have a great Valentine's Day!**

**Read and review!**

**~Luce **


	9. Chapter 9

Miley walked into her apartment, Sunday morning in a great mood. Her date last night had been fantastic and her sleepover with Demi had only made her night better. The two, old friends stayed up all night, reminiscing about their childhood memories and gossiping the two new men in their life.

Miley was not surprised to see that the apartment was pitch black; she hadn't expected Lily to have left her cave at any point during the night. Miley crept down the hallway, not wanting to wake Lily. Unfortunately for Miley, Lily was already awake.

"Where were you last night?" Lily asked with a bit of sass from inside her bedroom.

"I slept over Mitchie's," Miley responded, truthfully.

"That's nice!" Lily replied extremely sarcastically.

"What is your problem?" Miley asked walking into Lily's bedroom, forcing on the light switch.

"You. You're a shitty best friend. I was here all night heartbroken and crying and you go and sleep over your friend's house," Lily said, confidence in her voice.

"Excuse me? I invited you out last night to try and make you feel better but you were a complete and total bitch about it. So, I invited Mitchie because I felt bad that I invited Cody on a double date and his date refused to show up. Mitchie invited me to stay over and I agreed. What's the problem with that?" Miley said, close to shouting. She had had enough of Lily's attitude.

"I could've used a friend last night instead of you running around town," Lily retorted stubbornly.

"Really? Because I've been trying to be a friend to you for the past two weeks and you continue to act like a spoiled brat to me. I'm trying Lily, I really am," Miley said, her voice softening in the last sentence.

"Could've fooled me. Maybe you should try a little harder cause to me, you just look selfish!" Lily yelled at Miley, still underneath the sheets.

Miley started to yell back at her but realized she was only wasting her time. "You know what? I'm done with this conversation," Miley said walking down the hallway and into her own bedroom.

Miley peeled off her clothes from the night before and put on a pair of running leggings and a baggy dry-fit t-shirt. She tied her purple running shoes and was out the door within five minutes. Never had she gotten changed faster.

When Miley was angry or upset, she ran. It was what she had done since high school. Running always cleared her mind and helped her sort out her thoughts. An angry Miley through her hair up in a messy ponytail, not caring how she looked at the moment.

Then, Miley ran. She ran and ran and ran, no destination in mind. She kept running until her legs were numb and her feet were aching. She ran until Lily was the last person on her mind. Miley stopped at a nearby park to collect her thoughts. She sat down on a bench, letting herself cool down; both internally and externally.

Miley looked out at the grass field and noticed a little boy tossing a football with what appeared to be his older brother. The little brother wasn't very good but the older brother was patient with him and kept trying to show him the right way to throw the ball. Miley wasn't sure why, but she found herself watching the two of them. For reasons she couldn't explain, it made her miss her own brother, Jackson. She made a mental note to call him later that day and check in with him.

Miley didn't realize who the brother was until it was too late. They were now walking directly towards her. The older brother was Nick and she assumed the little boy was who she assumed to be Frankie.

Miley mentally cursed herself for not having put more thought into her appearance that morning. She knew she looked awful. Her hair was just thrown up, she'd gotten about two hours of sleep the night before, and now, she was covered in sweat from her run. Not to mention, she wasn't any make-up.

Miley tried to hide herself by pulling her knees into her chest and intentionally looking to the left of her. However, she had already been spotted. She saw Nick approaching her from the corner of her eye.

"Miley!" He happily called. Miley turned to face him yet did not uncurl her legs. She placed her head atop her knees.

"Hey.." She called awkwardly, trying to hide her face a bit. Miley knew she looked atrocious.

"Hey! This is my brother, Frankie. Frankie, this is the girl I've been seeing, Miley," Nick said, trying to figure out why Miley was acting so strange.

"Hi," Miley said politely. She gave a quick wave to Frankie and then wrapped her arms back around her knees, this time a little tighter.

"We were just about to head back to my place for lunch. Would you like to come?" Nick asked, hoping that she would say yes. He loved spending time with her, even if his little brother would be around.

"I'd love to," Miley admitted and then continued, "But, I actually have a dental appointment in half an hour.."

Miley hated lying. She really did; but there was no way she was letting Nick see her this way. Her hair was a mess, sweat was covering her body, and her naked face felt exposed.

"Aw, well, maybe next time," Nick said, disappointment evident in his tone.

"Yeah," Miley replied shortly, hoping to end this conversation so she could go home and clean up before she saw him ever again.

"Alright, well, I'll see you later then," Nick said, a bit awkwardly. Something just did not seem right about the way she was acting.

"Bye!" Miley said quickly. "Nice meeting you, Frankie."

"You too," Frankie replied smiling. Miley forced a smile.

"I'll call you later," Nick told her before leaning down to kiss the top of Miley's head. She did not react to his touch whatsoever, making Nick feel even worse.

"Ok," Miley said and then Nick and Frankie began heading towards Nick's car.

Once they were out of sight, Miley uncurled herself from the ball and began the jog back to her apartment. She wasn't yet ready to sit down and have an adult conversation with Lily but, she had cooled down enough not to pick anymore fights with Lily.

Miley walked into the apartment and immediately headed towards her shower. She turned the tap on and let the water warm up for a few minutes before getting in.

She loved the soothing feeling of the water on her back. Especially after a long run. Miley let her mind wander as she felt the embarrassment of Nick seeing her like that slip from her mind. She promised herself that she would only allow Nick to see her at her very best until they were at least an official couple.

~~~~~

Meanwhile, Nick sat at the kitchen table, waiting for Frankie to finish his sandwich. He was utterly confused, having no idea why Miley was acting as reserved as she was. Up until now, he had thought everything was going great between the two of them. He racked his brain of things he could've done wrong, yet could not think of anything.

"She was pretty," Frankie commented, referring to Miley.

"I know," Nick said, slightly distracted by his thoughts.

"If things don't work out between the two of you, will you give her my number?" Frankie asked. Nick chuckled a bit and rolled his eyes. Although he was just twelve, Frankie was quite a ladies' man.

"I don't think so, buddy," Nick replied. His mind continued to race as he thought of what Frankie just mentioned; Miley not wanting to be with him anymore.

"Well, does she have any friends?" Frankie asked, curious.

"I think they might be a bit too old for you," Nick said smiling. Although he had a lot on his mind, Frankie could still put him in a good mood.

"We'll see about that," Frankie said, raising his eyes suggestively. This time, Nick burst out laughing.

"Ok, little bro," Nick responded, his lips still curled upwards.

"Just you wait, fro bro," Frankie replied smiling. Nick hated the Nick name. For about a year during his teens, Nick had grown out his curly hair into a bit of an afro. The nickname "fro bro" was given to him by his older brothers and the name had become a family nickname for good.

"Whatever you say," Nick said grinning at his younger brother.

Frankie was so different than Nick at that age. Until just recently, Nick had been fairly quiet and reserved. At the age of twelve, Nick was far from talking to his family about older women. However, Frankie was much more outgoing and seemed to resemble his older brother, Joe, more than himself.

Later on in the day, once Frankie had been picked up, Nick sat quietly in the living room, tapping his foot anxiously. He wanted more than anything for Miley to call him. Nick knew something had been off with her that day and wanted desperately to know what it was.

After much debate, Nick decided to just call her. He scratched his neck as he dialed her number, afraid that she was angry with him.

"Hello?" Miley asked.

"Hey Miley," Nick said, relaxing slightly at the fact her tone sounded like her normal self.

"What's up?" Miley asked casually. She twirled a lock of her curls between her index finger and thumb.

"Nothing really. Just wanted to talk to you," Nick said and Miley felt her heart melt inside.

"Aw, that's sweet," Miley said, a smile plastered to her face.

Nick took in a deep breath and then said," Actually, I was kind of worried about you. You didn't seem yourself at the park today. I wondered if you might... Be upset with me?"

Miley hesitated before responding, "I'm not upset with you."

"You sure? You weren't really acting yourself," Nick stated.

"Well, to be honest, I wasn't really acting like myself. I had just had a huge fight with Lily and went running to clear my mind," Miley replied, leaving out the fact she had been embarrassed since she hadn't been wearing any make-up.

"Aw, I'm sorry. I'm here if you want to talk," Nick said truthfully.

"Thanks but, no thanks. At least not right now anyway. I'm not really in the mood to discuss it," Miley said. She was just trying to rid the argument from her mind as best she could.

"Anytime. I mean it, though. If you ever feel like talking about something, I'll listen," Nick replied.

"Thanks, Nick. That means a lot," Miley responded, grinning. He always knew exactly what to say to lift her mood.

"So, what are you doing Friday night?" Nick asked, changing the subject.

"Something with you, I'm guessing," Miley said giggling.

"Very good. I have a football game and I could really use my good luck charm," Nick said, flirting with her.

"Well, then, your good luck charm will be there," Miley replied.

"Perfect. And, Cody wanted me to ask you to ask Mitchie if she wants to go with you. Maybe the four of us could go out again, after?" Nick asked casually.

"I have to check with her, but I'm sure it will be fine," Miley replied, smiling.

"Then it sounds like I'll be seeing you Friday night," Nick said and Miley could tell he was grinning through the phone. She loved how she was getting to know him so well that she could tell.

"I can't wait," Miley said truthfully. She always got excited about the idea of spending time with Nick.

"Me neither," Nick said and then added, "I'm sorry; I have to go. My sister is calling me and she will not be happy if I ignore her."

Miley giggled on the other end. She could tell Nick's family meant a lot to him and she thought that was adorable.

"Ok, goodnight, Nick."

"Goodnight, gorgeous," Nick said and Miley blushed before hanging up the phone.

On the other end of the phone, Nick switched lines.

"Hey Mallory! What's up?" Nick asked casually.

"Don't you 'what's up' me," Mallory said loudly.

"Did I do something?" Nick asked, confused.

"As a matter of fact, you did. You told me I could be the first person to meet Miley and it appears that you introduced Frankie to her today," Mallory said in one breath.

"I'm sorry, Mal. It just kind of happened. We were tossing the football in the park and we happened to run into her. What was I supposed to do, hide Frankie behind my back?" Nick asked sarcastically, slightly annoyed. His sister was just a little too overdramatic sometimes.

"Ugh, well, I'll let it slide if you let me meet her," Mallory replied.

"Mal, I told you that you could meet her once I ask her to be my girlfriend," Nick replied calmly.

"Well, hurry up with that! Why can't the three of us just casually hang out tomorrow after I get out of school?" Mallory pleaded.

"Oh, Mal, I don't know about that..." Nick said hesitantly.

"Pleasssssssssssse?" Mallory practically begged.

"What would we even do?" Nick asked her.

"Let's go ice-skating!" Mallory exclaimed.

"Fine. I'll ask her but if she can't go then you need to stop harassing me about meeting her and I get to introduce you to her in my own time," Nick said, giving in.

"Deal! Now, what are you waiting for? Go call her!" Mallory happily responded and then hung the phone.

Nick shook his head smiling. Mallory really was something.

**A/N**

**Sorry about the delay. This was half-written a while ago but I just got around to finishing it.**

**Hope you like it! Please review! **

**~Luce**


	10. Chapter 10

Miley came home from work the next day and changed quickly. Lily was still in her bedroom and Miley didn't bother to acknowledge her presence. Miley was not quite ready to deal with that situation.

Nick had called her last night, inviting her to go ice-skating with Mallory this afternoon. At first, Miley had declined because she was awful at ice-skating but Nick had convinced her to come, promising to help her learn.

Now, she was regretting it ever so slightly. Miley not only had no idea how to ice-skate but also had no idea what to wear ice-skating. She desperately wanted to impress Mallory because she knew whatever impression Mallory got of her would be reported back to Nick's parents.

After much consideration, Miley decided on a pair of black, skinny jeans. On top, she wore a a purple cardigan over a white camisole. Finally, she accessorized with a pair of pearl studs and few bangles on her arm. She most definitely did not want to overdo it because ice-skating would require a lot of movement. Miley slipped on a pair of purple ballet flats because she knew they would be easy to get on and off when putting on the ice-skates. She made a mental note to throw a pair of socks into her purse for the ice-skates.

Then Miley headed into the bathroom, heavily debating what to with her hair. After much thought, Miley decided on a French braid. It would hold her hair back neatly so it would not get in the way as she skated.

Miley grabbed a large, black purse off her dresser and headed into the kitchen to casually wait for Nick and Mallory. She checked her reflection periodically, making sure she looked alright.

As she was putting a lone, loose strand of hair behind her ear, her doorbell rang.

Miley counted to ten before walking over and getting it, making sure not to seem like she had just been waiting for them by the door, which was exactly what she had been doing.

Miley opened the door to see Nick and a teen girl Miley assumed was Mallory. Mallory was wearing a pair of black leggings and an oversized grey sweater. There was little resemblance between her and Nick aside from her long, brown, curly hair.

Nick opened his mouth to speak but Mallory started talking before he could get even a sound out.

"Hi! You must be Miley! I've heard so much about you! It's so nice to finally meet you!" Mallory said, before Nick could introduce the two.

"It's nice to meet you too," Miley said and Mallory hugged her. Miley, a bit surprised by her action, returned the hug and then pulled away, smiling at Mallory.

"Hey, you," Nick said to her, planting a soft kiss on her lips.

"Hey, yourself," Miley replied, grinning up at him. He looked as cute as ever in a white v-neck tee and a pair of jeans. On his feet was a pair of Sperrys.

"Ok, ok. Enough lovey-dovey stuff! Let's go ice-skating!" Mallory exclaimed, even though Nick and Miley had barely been doing anything 'lovey-dovey.'

Miley giggled nervously. Nick had mentioned that Mallory could be a wee bit over the top and Miley agreed. However, this did not take away from the fact she genuinely liked Mallory.

Nick gave Mallory a stern, warning look before grabbing Miley's hand and leading the two girls down the hallway to the elevator.

"So, Miley, wanna hear some embarrassing stories about Nick?" Mallory asked once the three were settled in Nick's car.

Miley turned around in the passenger seat to face Mallory. "Of course!"

Nick shook his head, grinning at Miley's eagerness.

"This should be interesting.." Nick said softly.

"Ok.. Let me think of a good one.. So our family went over Nick's ex-girlfriend's, who you're much prettier than, by the way, for dinner. So we're like sitting there getting ready to eat and Nick takes the salad dressing and starts to shake it. Only the lid wasn't on all the way it went all over the place, including on his ex's mom," Mallory said, laughing hysterically.

Miley giggled uncontrollably in the passenger seat.

"Ha, ha, Mallory," Nick said sarcastically, blushing.

"Ok. So, onto the next one," Mallory said, still laughing a bit, "So, Nick was going to prom with the same ex. He goes to the bathroom and comes out with toilet paper on his shoe. And no one tells him, so in all his prom pictures, you can see a piece of toilet paper hanging off his shoe!"

Mallory squealed at the end and went back to laughing hysterically.

"Ok, Mallory, I think that's enough," Nick said, giving her a look in the review mirror as Miley giggled next to him.

"Just one more. So, Nick went over on a camping trip and-" Mallory began but Nick cut her off.

"Don't you dare finish that!" Nick told her.

"Fine, I'll just tell Miley when you're not around," Mallory said, shrugging.

"Don't!" Nick warned sternly.

"Okkkk," Mallory replied, sarcastically and then added to Miley, "I'm sorry my brother's such a bore."

Nick rolled his eyes at the comment and Miley just awkwardly pretended it wasn't said, not wanting to get involved in the disagreement.

The rest of the car ride was silent till the reached the ice rink. Miley got out of the car after Nick walked around to her side and opened the car door for her. Miley took the hand he offered and walked into the ice rink.

The three of them waited in line until they reached the counter where Nick quickly requested three tickets and three skate rentals. Nick handed the money over immediately and covered Miley's mouth when she began to protest about him paying for her.

"I don't mind so let me do it," Nick whispered in her ear as they walked towards the rink itself.

"Thank you," Miley replied and then added, "You really do spoil me."

"Maybe so, but I enjoy it," He said grinning down at her.

After getting the appropriate size skates, the threesome sat down on the bleachers. Nick, being the gentleman he was, laced a clueless Miley's skates up for her. Miley pecked him on the lips in return.

"I don't think you understand just how bad I am at this," Miley said to him as she latched on to Nick's arm as they walked over to the rink.

"I told you, I'll teach you," Nick replied reassuringly.

"But, I don't know what there is to teach when your pupil is a complete and total klutz," Miley said nervously looking at the shiny ice. She relaxed a little when she realized it wasn't very crowded.

"You'll be fine," Nick promised as he stepped out onto the ice and turned around, grabbing both of Miley's hands to steady her as she slowly and cautiously stepped onto the ice.

Miley stayed put for a second as Nick helped her steady herself.

"You're fine. Nick helped me learn to skate and I'm probably the most nonathletic person you will ever meet," Mallory said to Miley, noticing just how scared Miley looked.

"It's true, you will never meet anyone less athletic than her," Nick joked, trying to get Miley to relax a bit.

"Hey!" Mallory said and jokingly smacked him across the chest. Nick, not expecting it at all, teetered on his skates for a second for a second and he felt Miley cling onto his hands even harder, fearing for her life as her legs wobbled. After a moment, Nick helped steady her.

"Mallory, do not do that again," Nick warned, looking out more for Miley than himself.

"Sorry, Miley," Mallory apologized.

"It's no problem," Miley said truthfully. She used to do the same thing to Jackson all the time.

"Okay, then. Let go of my right hand so we can stand side by side. It'll be much easier to skate that way," Nick directed Miley. She carefully her right hand from Nick's and balanced it on the glass wall. Her other hand clasped Nick's hand tightly.

"There you go," Nick said soothingly. "Now, just walk on your skates with me for a moment till you get the hang of it."

Miley, not letting go of Nick's hand, took a tiny, baby-step.

"Good, now just keep moving," Nick said, making sure not to loosen his grip on Miley as they began to walk slowly on the ice.

"Ok. I think you're ready to start gliding," Nick said a few moments later, after completing a walking lap around the rink. Miley abruptly shook her head.

"C'mon. You'll be fine," Nick said and added, "I won't let you fall, promise."

"I don't know," Miley said dubiously.

"You can do it. You can trust me," Nick said encouragingly and the way he said it, made Miley believe it.

"Ok," Miley said more confident than before. She slowly took a step and then with her other foot, glided a bit.

"There we go. Just keep going slow till you get the hang of it," Nick said gently and Miley did just that. She slowly glided around the ring, clinging onto Nick's hand the entire time.

"Told you, you could do it," Nick said fake boasting.

"I'm still nowhere near as good as Mallory," Miley said, looking over at Mallory who had left the couple alone to go skate some laps by herself at a much quicker pace.

"That's for sure," Nick teased and then added more seriously, "It takes time."

"Thank you for not letting me fall," Miley said sincerely.

"My pleasure, gorgeous. I won't ever let you fall if I can help it," He said, brushing his lips against the top of her head.

Miley blushed and smiled at him.

"So, have you talked to Lily about yesterday?" Nick asked curiously.

Miley responded as she focused on her feet, "Nope. I'm not talking to her at all. She can apologize to me and then maybe I'll acknowledge her."

"I take it the fight was pretty bad?" Nick questioned.

"Oh, yes! She pretty much told me I was a terrible friend and self-centered," Miley replied.

"Well, I know that's not true.. Maybe you should try and talk to her. She's your best friend and I'm sure she's hurting too," Nick said carefully. He didn't want to upset Miley with his advice.

"Yeah, right. She'll just bitch at me again," Miley responded.

"You don't know that," Nick said back gently.

"Oh, but I know my best friend. And she's never been one to apologize. She's-" Miley started before she tripped over her feet and fell face first onto the ice, bringing down Nick beside her.

Nick quickly sat up to make sure she was ok only to learn that Miley was laughing. Nick joined in. He stood up and offered her his hand, carefully steadying himself first. Miley grabbed his hand and stood up, still giggling a bit.

"That was embarrassing," Miley said grinning.

"You ok?" Nick asked, looking at her with a concerned look.

"Fine. I'm sorry about that. I got too wrapped up in the conversation and forgot to watch my feet," Miley admitted.

"Not a problem. That was partially my fault too. I stopped paying attention myself," Nick reassured.

A giggling Mallory skated over to them.

"That was hilarious," Mallory said, still laughing.

"Yes. Hilarious," Nick said sarcastically but, he was grinning.

"C'mon, even Miley was laughing. The two of you just completely wiped out in the middle of the rink," Mallory said, a huge grin on her face.

Nick chuckled a bit and added, "It won't happen again, so I hope you enjoyed it. I'm gonna pay attention a little better."

"We should probably leave if you want to get to practice on time," Mallory stated and Nick looked at his watch and nodded. He had to coach in about an hour.

"Yeah, I have to work on something for work tonight too," Miley said as the three of them walked off the rink. Nick made a special effort to hold Miley's hand securely.

After returning their skates, they walked to Nick's car.

"Miley, did you see that guy in the blue jacket? Was he not gorgeous?" Mallory asked once they were in the safety of the car.

"To be honest, I wasn't paying too much attention to other people. I was making sure to not fall on my face," Miley said.

"You missed a cute one. He had beautiful, blonde hair. And, he had to be at least 6'2"," Mallory informed Miley.

"Mallory, Miley doesn't care," Nick said to his little sister.

"That's not true," Miley told Mallory and added, "You should've gone over and talked to him!"

"What was I going to say?" Mallory asked.

"You could have told him how beautiful his blonde hair was," Nick said with a smirk.

"Nick, that makes the guy think you're a nut. Mallory, you could've casually introduced yourself," Miley said giggling at Nick's comment.

"He wouldn't have paid attention to me, though. He was gorgeous and I'm just.. Well... Me," Mallory said, the confidence she had had once felt, gone.

"Got that right," Nick joked and Miley playfully smacked him. He grinned over at her before turning his eyes back at the road.

"That is so not true, Nicholas. You're sister happens to be beautiful. She's got perfect brown eyes and curly, brown hair," Miley said.

"You really think so?" Mallory asked, her mood brightening a bit.

"Of course! I would kill for your hair!" Miley said reassuringly.

Nick smiled to himself beside her. There was nothing more he loved in a girl than the ability to get along with his family.

"Oh my gosh! Thanks!" Mallory asked, now gleaming. She began to play with a piece of hair between two of her fingers.

"My pleasure," Miley responded.

"Mal, I'm gonna drop you off at Mom and Dad's first and then, I'll drop Miley off since she's on the way to the high school," Nick said.

"Ok. But I know that's just an excuse to have a few minutes alone with her so you two can make out. I wasn't born last year," Mallory said.

Miley blushed and Nick once again gave Mallory a look in the rearview mirror.

"Or maybe it's just because I want you out of my car," Nick responded, faking a smile.

Mallory giggled. Miley loved the way the two of them pushed each other's buttons but were able to laugh it off. It reminded her of herself and Jackson.

"Bye, Mallory!" Nick said when they pulled up to his childhood house.

"Bye, Nicky!" Mallory said and then added to Miley, "Bye, Miley. It was so great to meet you!"

"You too, Mallory!" Miley said and smiled at her. Mallory waved before walking up the walk to her house. Nick waited to make sure she got inside before driving off.

"Well, Mallory was right about something," Nick said, smirking at Miley.

"What was that?" Miley asked, a bit confused.

"I did drop her off so I would have a few moments alone with you so we could make out," Nick said winking at her and Miley grinned.

"You're a clever one," Miley teased lightly.

"So they say," Nick replied.

Nick pulled the car into the parking lot of Miley's apartment complex and climbed out. He opened Miley's door for her and the two walked up to her apartment hand in hand.

When they reached the door to her apartment, Nick leaned Miley up against the wall and whispered in her ear, "You know, I had a great time with you today."

"I had fun too. Thank you," Miley responded. Nick's forehead was placed up against Miley's.

"My pleasure," Nick replied. He leaned in and kissed Miley passionately. The two remained kissing until a grumpy Lily opened the apartment door to come out.

"Excuse me," Lily said rudely as she brushed past them and marched right on by down the hall.

"Now, do you see why I'm not gonna try and talk to her?" Miley asked, nodding in the direction Lily had exited.

"Yeah, but you still need to try. You'll feel better after," Nick stated.

"I guess I could give it a shot.." Miley said hesitantly.

"Good. Do it for me," Nick said grinning down at her.

"Deal. But that's the only reason I'm doing it," Miley replied.

"I can live with that," Nick said in response.

"See you tomorrow night," Miley said.

"You will indeed. I'll call you tonight after practice," Nick said, leaning in and kissing her one last time.

"Goodbye, Nick," Miley said as she turned to enter her apartment.

"Bye, Miley," Nick said and Miley walked inside her apartment and shut the door behind her.

~~~~~~~

Later that same night, Nick and Cody sat in their office in the locker room going over some last minute plays for the game the following night while they waited for the last few guys to leave the locker room.

"We'll need to play mostly a running game because we can't risk any interceptions," Nick stated, staring down at his clipboard.

"Most definitely," Cody replied in agreement. "That's what caused us to lose that one game and I refuse to let it happen again."

"Yeah. I'm hoping to win these next two regular season games so we'll go into the play-offs with a bit of a winning streak," Nick stated confidently.

"That's the way it's gotta go. You can't go into a play-off game well if you haven't played good recently beforehand,"  
Cody responded and then added, "What do you want to do with the ladies tomorrow night?"

"I'm not sure. It's going to be kind of late," Nick responded, knowing the game wouldn't be over till at least nine.

"Yeah but, we still gotta do something kind of special. I mean this is only me and Mitchie's second date," Cody said and Nick nodded.

"I was thinking a movie but by the time we get home and all it would be like two in the morning," Nick stated.

"I know and we have to get up for practice Saturday morning," Cody said before adding, "What about just going to Pinkberry and getting a little ice-cream?"

"That could work. I already took Miley out for ice-cream but I doubt she'd mind. I mean, it'll be too late to take them out to dinner," Nick said, rationalizing his decision.

"Alright, then ice-cream it is," Cody agreed.

"So, you and Mitchie, huh?" Nick asked raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I really like her. She's different, you know?" Cody responded and Nick nodded his head.

"Just don't play games with her like you do with all the other girls. She means a lot to Miley," Nick said seriously. He did like Cody. He really did. However, Cody didn't exactly have the best reputation with the ladies.

"Dude, I won't! Mitchie's different," Cody said.

"I hope so, man," Nick said as he neatly placed his clipboard and stack of papers on the desk. Cody stood up and the two of them exited the office together, there minds no longer focused on the women but rather, winning their game tomorrow night.

~~~~~~~~

Miley tried so hard to focus on her article as she sat at the kitchen table waiting for Lily to get home and yet, she wasn't able to get much more than a paragraph out. Normally, the first paragraph was the hardest part but, for Miley, it was the only part she could get at the moment.

She nervously tapped her foot as she waited for Lily to come in through the door. Miley had told Nick she would try and talk to Lily about everything and Miley was a woman of her word.

Miley knew it probably wasn't going to be a pretty confrontation but she knew it had to happen. They couldn't just go on ignoring each other. And, as much as she hated to admit it at that moment, Miley missed her best friend's company. Before the whole Oliver mess, the two had practically been sisters. There was no way she would let Lily go from her life without a fight.

As Miley finished her second cup of coffee, the door opened and in walked Lily.

"Hey! Let me make you some coffee so we can sit and talk," Miley said quickly before Lily could just walk on by, ignoring her.

Lily sat down at the table obediently but did not mutter a single word. She stared across the table even though no one was seated there. Miley brought Lily over a cup of coffee before taking her own seat at the table.

"How've you been?" Miley asked cautiously, not really sure how to break the ice.

"Fantastic," Lily said sarcastically, not making eye-contact with Miley whatsoever. Miley bit her lip, carefully formulating what she would say next.

"I think we should just try and talk things out, Lil. You're my best friend and this whole thing is kind of ridiculous, don't you think?" Miley said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"You going from being my best friend to a selfish bitch is something I might consider a bit ridiculous," Lily replied, still not looking at Miley.

"I'm sorry if you got that impression but, it's not true in the least. All I've tried to do is be there for you but you don't seem to be grateful in the least," Miley said calmly.

"Oh, yeah! You were quite a big help! You go on and replace me with Mitchie all because I didn't want to go on some stupid blind date because I'm clearly heartbroken. And, exactly how is that my fault?" Lily said annoyed.

"I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm never going to replace you, Lily. You're practically my sister. There's no way anyone could just waltz in here and take your place," Miley explained truthfully.

"Oh, please! You've already moved on. When I need you most, you ditch me. You go spend all your time with that stupid coach and Mitchie. When your 'sister' is in trouble, you should help her. Not just pretend they're the problem and go make new friends!" Lily yelled, this time making direct eye-contact with Miley.

"Lily, I tried to help. I really did. I brought you to the football game, I tried to bring you to the football game-" Miley started but Lily angrily cut her off.

"You know what? Just stop with your lame excuses. The only reason you invited me out those couple of times was because you didn't want to be alone. You didn't want ME there. You just wanted someone and I was stupid enough to let you use me," Lily said bitterly as she stood up, dumped out her coffee in the sink, and returned to her bedroom.

Miley sat there in shock for a moment and them went into her room and began to cry. She cried for a long time. She cried for the best friend she once knew. She cried because she knew that something had changed in her relationship with Lily that couldn't be changed back. But, most of all, she cried because she knew that everything was changing and that the person she once thought she could count on more than anyone was now someone she couldn't count on at all.

**A/N**

**Helllo there! **

**Woohoo! I'm on a roll! Second one out this weekend & it's on the longer side! I'm trying my best to update a little more often and to lengthen the chapters a bit. I'm hoping to have between 3,000-5,000 words in each of the remaining chapters. **

**The next chapter should be out hopefully within the next two weeks :) **

**Thank you all for your continued support! Every review makes me smile! It makes me happy to know people are reading my writing and actually enjoying it. The more reviews I get, the faster I will update! Promise! **

**Please take the time and review, each one makes my day! **

**~Luce **


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